


The Saving of Lance McLain

by NoLifeToCallMyOwn



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Big Sister Allura, Blow Jobs, Dark!Lance, F/F, Hunk the purest boy with a temper, Keith the diva, Langst, M/M, Masturbation, Nicer Haggar, Not Altean Lance, Obsession, Past Relationships, Rating May Change, Slight OOC, Special Lance, Tags May Change, The Moonchild, Uncle Coran, but for only a bit, clone Shiro is fucking crazy, clone!shiro, druid!Lance, gremlin pidge, he different, he is some sort of alien though so it’s cool, lions be sentient, maybe smut, no spellcheck we die like men, there is smut, they talk but like not with words
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2019-09-22 19:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17065583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoLifeToCallMyOwn/pseuds/NoLifeToCallMyOwn
Summary: Set before Lotors inevitable defeat Lance gets kidnapped but the Galra. He learns of his heritage and of his future. He inevitably becomes a badass after going toe to toe with Haggar the wicked witch and here’s how he does it!This is literally just me re-writing Voltron out of spite because of season 8 but who cares I’m into it!Warning!! There will be some chapters that are really brutal! You can skip over them if you’d like and I’ll put warnings on those chapters.I’ll be updating on a schedule of posting at least every 3 days hopefully.





	1. How did I get here?

**Author's Note:**

> Yo what is up my dudes it’s NoLife. Just a heads up that this is my first Voltron series. So I may be a bit out of tune. Anyway enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just letting ya know that I wrote chapter 1 while sleep deprived so it may not be very good. I promise my writing get better by chapter 3.  
> If I have time I might re-write chapter 1.

Lance was currently leaning on a wall in a dark room. There were no doors that he could see, but there was a vent above him blowing cold air making him shiver. He huffed before sitting cross legged and staring at the figure in the corner. They hadn’t moved for a while and seemed to be in a state of meditation. He had tried to get their attention but all that resulted in was a hiss from them. He wasn’t quite fond of people apparently. 

 

“Ugh I’m bored. Hey buddy do you have anything to do around here?” Lance asked the silent figure. They twitched for a moment and exhaled. Oh ok that’s a lot of air. Were they holding their breath? Lance was growing more and more concerned as the ticks passed and the figure seemed to not run out of breath.

 

It was almost a full three doboshes before the air finally stopped coming from the figure. There was minimal light but lance could see they were still breathing somehow. It was strange, even in the light the figure seemed to just blend into the shadows of the corner. He went to ask if they were alright when the figure held up a hand. 

 

“Why do you persist in your attempts of speaking with me?” They asked. Their voice held no emotion as if they were soulless. They shifted around to face him and tilted their head in a questioning manner. Lance shuddered as bright green eyes shined from the darkness. 

 

“I uh just wanted to talk or something. There isn’t anything to do here ya’know? These galra are just so boring.” He shrugged when the figure didn’t respond. They narrowed their eyes for a moment before snorting. Lance’s face contorted in confusion. “What are you laughing at?” He asked crossing his arms.

 

The figure laughed for a second before replying. “Surely you are kidding. The galra are rather boring yes but Haggar is a ‘very’ fun person. Especially when you refuse to answer her questions. That is why you’re here is it not?” They asked confidently before narrowing their eyes again. “Unless she has yet to see you. Ah that makes sense now. You a pilot of Voltron don’t even know where you are and yet you ignorantly sit here without knowing the consequences of your actions.” 

 

Lance sat there silently staring at the floor. They were right of course, he didn’t know where he was. He knew he was caught by the galra but that was it. He had woken in the cell and never even bothered to question where he was exactly. He had only assumed that’d this was a normal holding cell. But if what the figure said had been a hint then he supposed this was Haggar’s ship. He shuddered when a vision of the witch crossed his mind. He did not want to be there anymore and he shook from the thought of her doing something to him. What if he was put into a fighting ring like Shiro? He’d never last a day. ‘God I wish I didn’t skip on hand to hand training’ he thought before lifting his head at a scratching noise. 

 

The figure had moved and a lights shone on the floor. ‘Was that metal? Wait is this guy chained up?’ Lance followed the chain to the leg of the figure who immediately moved it from sight. But it was too late, lance had seen it. The scars and bruises covering it in blue and purple splotches. “Why are you here paladin?” The figure asked. It seemed to be a good distraction as Lance’s eyes widened at the thought. Why was he here?

 

Lance took a moment to recall the events leading up to this point. He lifted his head and settled his eyes on the green orbs in the corner of the room. “Well it all started when-“

 

* * *

  
  
  


_ Lance awoke with a throbbing pain in his head. He knew today was bound to be a bad day. Because as he looked in his mirror the normal glow of his skin had faded and instead radiated an aura of depression. It was rare that he went into a phase of depression. The last time had been at the garrison when the whole class blamed him when their field trip to and on site pilot station was canceled. He had ran back to his room only to cry when he found Hunk sitting there. He could always trust Hunk when he became like this. Hunk never asked questions till lance was done crying. He would hold out his arms and lance would accept the hug gratefully.  _

 

_ Lance sighed as he put on his regular clothes sat on his bed. He pulled a picture from his pocket. His family was there smiling happily at the camera. What would they say if they knew what he’d been through? Would they accept it and move on or would they reject him just like the people at the garrison? He didn’t know but he did know that he’d rather die in this war than have the galra take them from him.  _

 

_ He stood and placed the picture back in his pocket. Walking out the door and turning into the hallway he watched as shiro also emerged from his room. Shiro had been acting strange. And after that time in the astral plane he wasn’t about to let him out of his sight. Shiro perked up when he saw lance there. He waved a small wave before walking towards Lance. But instead Lance turned around and walked in the other direction. He told himself that it was because he was just hungry and not because he saw someone other than Shiro. It was strange, he looked like Shiro, acted like Shiro, and yet there was something different about him. His aura just seemed to give off a vibe that didn’t sit well with lance.  _

 

_ He entered the dining room to find Hunk had already set out the food goo. Hunk turned with a smile. Which then promptly fell as he saw the look on Lances face or rather lack thereof. Hunk nodded before motioning to one of the seats. Keith was already eating and getting ready to head to the training deck. It was one of the few times he wasn’t with the Blades. He wasn’t sure how to feel about them. He trusted them of course but they often did things he didn’t approve of. It wasn’t like he cared what Keith did, but he doesn’t want him to end up dead. Yet he didn’t say anything because he knew it would be meaningless. Keith wouldn’t listen to him anyways. It was at this point Red decided to bombard him with a cacophony of emotions. Most of which being anger. He huffed and quickly ate his goo before he would inevitably explode.  _

 

_ Keith stood up and grabbed his plate. “How did you do it?” Lance asked suddenly as Keith began to walk away. He looked back at Lance with a questioning look. “Red, she keeps sending me her emotions. How do you make them stop?” Lance asked looking down at his plate. Keith scrunched his face up in thought. “I didn’t.” He said and Lance looked up with a raised brow. “I didn’t stop her from making me feel them. She was actually silent for the most part.” He said concerned. Lance took the info in and looked at Keith with wide eyes. Why? Why did he have to endure all the burning feelings and Keith didn’t? What was different between them that Red had decided Lance would deal with the brunt of her emotions? Red had then suddenly sent him a soothing feeling. As if to apologize for worrying him. The tension in his shoulders relaxed and he sighed.  _

 

_ Shiro had walked in not long after Keith left. Pidge had also entered but was currently engaged in a serious debate with hunk of whether doing stealth upgrades on all of the lions would be good or not. Hunk was all for it but Pidge had deemed that the yellow and blue lions shouldn’t need it when they were essentially the tanks of Voltron. Lance sighed and pushed his plate of goo away. Hunk had given him more than normal apparently. Or was he just not hungry? “Hey Lance, can I talk to you?” _

_ Shiro asked breaking Lance from his momentary trance. Lance looked up before shrugging and following Shiro into the hallway. ‘Dios what did I do this time?’ He thought when Shiro gave him the space dad look.  _

 

_ “Is there something wrong?” Shiro asked with a concerned look. Lance raised his brow. “You have been really quiet recently. And I’m pretty sure you’ve been avoiding me. Did I say something wrong?” That had Lance sputtering out words. He didn’t think Shiro would notice him distancing himself. “Of course not Shiro! I’m sorry I’ve just been thinking about stuff.” He looked at his hands for a moment. Shiro seemed to relax and release a breath of relief. “Do you want to talk about it?” Lance looked up and shook his head. “Nah it’s just home stuff. We’ve been through it before, I can handle it this time.” Shiro had a look of understanding and nodded. “Alright but if you need to talk I’m here for you.” Shiro said before walking away.  _

 

_ Lance slid down the wall and sat there with his head in his hands. Tears began to pour down his face. ‘That wasn’t shiro. It acted like him but it wasn’t him at all.’ He started to shake and ran his hands through his hair. He pulled on it then before a whimper came from his throat. That wasn’t Shiro, it couldn’t be, Shiro wouldn’t be that concerned. Plus he’d never even spoken to Shiro about home. He gasped and choked on air as he struggled to breath. A panic attack was slowly taking control. Red had noticed at some point and was trying her hardest to calm him down. But without a way to physically hold him she couldn’t do much. She was sending calming waves of energy to him but it only clashed with the fear in his mind and sent him over the edge. He blacked out on the floor where he laid in his own tears. _

 

_ He woke up to the sight of Allura carding her hands through his hair. Hunk was at his side with a hand on his shoulder. The lights were bright and stung his eyes as they assaulted him. “Oh thank god you’re awake.” Hunk said as he stood over him. Allura helped him sit up and stabilized him when he almost fell back again. He looked at her and smiled in thanks. They had slowly developed a strong friendship after Allura had confronted him about his flirting problem. He had broken down in front of her as he told his story on how he was constantly criticized by his peers. They had made fun of him for being alone all the time and so he developed a facade that he would put on. A mask if you would. It hid his insecurities from others and in turn he would pretend to be someone people thought he was. She had let him cry on her shoulder for hours before carding her fingers in his hair and allowing him to sleep in her bed. Coran had been absolutely livid when he found him there. The issue was solved later on when Allura had pulled Coran aside to explain things. Coran had then started to be softer with Lance and would comfort him in time of need. It was appreciated for the most part but sometimes Lance would have to ask for space. Coran would understand of course and give him space but Lance had a feeling that he’d pushed Coran away when he wanted to help. He would feel bad and apologize later but Coran would just tell him not to apologize and just be happy. He was kinda like an uncle in a strange way. A really old uncle who happens to be an alien but an uncle nonetheless. _

 

_ Hunk had moved in front of him and pulled him into a tight hug. “God don’t scare me like that dude! I nearly had a heart attack finding you on the floor like that.” He said brows scrunched in worry. A small smile showed on his face when Lance snorted. “Oh ha ha give the guy who helped you get here a heart attack. You sir are in trouble for worrying me. Now why don’t you tell us what’s up huh?” Hunk said enthusiastically. Lance wilted then and looked up with teary eyes. Allura gasped and pulled him into a side hug. “Lance what’s wrong? We can’t help you unless we know.” Allura said calmly while rubbing her hand up and down his back soothingly. He sniffles and opened his mouth “Its Shiro, he-“ he was never able to finish the sentence as the alarms blared to life. Hunk and Allura straightened up at the sound as Lance cringed from the loudness. “Sorry buddy we’ll have to finish this later. But. Promise to make you that cool space Hot chocolate I made the other day.” Hunk said with a small smile. Lance nodded before getting up to run to his hangar. He passed Keith on the way there. He looked confused as Lance ran by before understanding crossed his features. _

 

_ Entering the hangar Red reared up as she settled in his mind. She made a chuffing noise when he sat in the seat and grabbed the handles. The hangar doors opened up and Red burst into the fray as a Galra cruiser passed by before exploding. Lance would never get used to seeing the Galra burn up in the flames of their cruisers. It just didn’t feel right to kill them but at the same time they would kill him if he didn’t. The coms connected and he heard Shiro and Coran explain what was happening. Apparently there was a Galra who had seen them from one of the trade planets they had stopped by and called them in. “Lance I need you to go with Pidge and scope out the ship, look for a weak spot.” Shiro said. Lance grunted an affirmative as he and Pidge moved around the battle and to the ship. “Looks like we can enter and destroy it from the inside.” Pidge sent the blueprints to lance who looked it over and nodded. “Why not destroy it from the outside?” He asked. “There appears to be a barrier protecting it from blasts. If we can get inside and destroy the core then we can call it a day.” They said matter of factly. Lance snorted before switching to group comms. “Would it be okay of I head inside and destroy this thing shiro?” Lance asked. He was actually hoping Shiro would say no. “If you think you’re up for the task then go ahead.” ‘Of course he would let me.’ Lance sighed and confirmed.  _

 

_ The inside of the ship was actually rather empty. ‘Guess they’ve got everyone outside helping to fight.’ He turned when he thought he saw a shadow. But shrugged and kept moving forward when nothing showed itself. It took a moment but he eventually found the reactor core. He placed a couple explosives and set them to go off in a few doboshes. If he was right then he should be out with twenty ticks left to get away. He turned and started to walk away when the feeling of being watched stopped him from moving forward. He looked around again, the paranoia consisted as he moved through the halls back to Red. Red seemed to also notice something wrong and growled in his head. Something was wrong but he needed to get out of there. He moved faster and faster until he was in a full on sprint. He found the exit and quickly jumped into Red who moved away immediately.  _

 

_ The feeling of being watched persisted even as he watched the ship explode. What was making him feel this way? Even Red was feeling antsy. Lance stopped fighting to pull back for a second and take in his surroundings. Everything seemed normal at first but as he scanned the field he caught something strange. One of the Galra cruisers was sitting still a light was emanating from the center. A purple crackle of lightning was then flying towards Shiro who was turned around. Time seemed to slow as Lance directed Red in front of the lighting and took the hit. He regretted it almost immediately as Red seemed to shut down completely. She wasn’t responding at all and the link between their minds seemed to sever. He felt empty for a moment then darkness overtook him. _

 

* * *

  
  
  


That was before he awoke in his current cell with the shadowy figure who had listened intently as he told his tale. They shifted and moved into the light pulling down their hood.

Horns adorned their head as they rose to their full height. They were a dull crimson color and seemed to be covered in scales. Their mouth opened to reveal sharp teeth as they yawned and  stretched. Their bones popped and creaked under the pressure. Their six arms stretched in different directions as their tail curled. They sounded old, much older than they looked as they sighed. “How did you get here?” Lance questioned them. “And uh what’s your name? My name is Lance by the way.” The person snorted and huffed. “My name is Ta’ruk (Tah-Rook) and my story is much longer.” Lance smiled at that ‘so they are old’ he thought. “You could always tell me the short version.” Lance suggested. Ta’ruk smiles a bit and shrugged sitting back down and began talking.

 

Ta’ruk was apparently from a planet of cold blooded aliens named Volcas who thrived in battle. They were in a time of peace when the Galra had taken over. Unfortunately for the Galra that had been what the Volcas wanted all along. They now had reason to fight and could let their instincts take hold. Many Galra were slaughtered in the war. The Volca were very battle oriented and by the time the Galra knew what was coming they were killed. That had stayed that way for a while until Haggar showed up the next time. She had killed an entire continent of Volcas before moving on and capturing the rest. They were turned into slaves, some worked while others were put into the ring for Galran entertainment. Ta’ruk was deemed fortunate by his people as he was taken to Haggar instead. He was like a pet to her in a way. At least that was what she had made it seem like. Behind closed doors he was tortured and hurt mercilessly. Haggar wanted information on something. Something that Ta’ruk refuses to talk about. Some sort of planet belonging to an ancient race. The whereabouts were unknown to anyone who was not allowed there. It was a planet that was filled with quintessence and the people there were like gods. They were immortal for the most part. They lived to be over five-thousand years at most. But more importantly the planet was in a place where time is much faster. The time was fast enough there that a person could live a full year there when it had only been two weeks out here. It was amazing. The species was so intelligent that they had far surpassed anyone out here. But alas they were secretive and would always be kept that way. Ta’ruk had then cut off his story as a door suddenly slid up to reveal a soldier who pointed at Ta’ruk and motion for him to come over. And then Ta’ruk was gone not to be seen for a while.


	2. What have I caused?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro struggles to understand why Lance had changed so drastically. The team slowly but surely pulls away from him. Pidge if a smol angry troll.

When Shiro returned to the castle he was livid. He just witnessed Lance, his right hand, taken from him. It was unfair! That should’ve been him not Lance. His desperate attempts at saving him had failed when a portal opened up around the red lion and sent them to god knows where. Lance was gone and it was his fault.

He sighed and leaned back with his hands running through his hair. What was he supposed to do? If not for Lance he’d probably be dead. Was Lance dead? Oh god did he indirectly kill Lance? It was just like the Arena. He never wanted to hurt anyone but he always did anyway. Had Lance been in pain? God he hoped not. Black seemed to notice his distress but didn’t really seem to care. 

 

Why was she ignoring him? It’d been different than before and he was so confused. “What did I do wrong?” He asked himself.  _ “Perhaps it is the fact that you are so bent on denying what I’ve told you before.” _ Black replied. It was strange, his own voice emanated from the lion as if he were there instead. But it made no sense, he was there in the cockpit, yet the voice seemed so far away. It would tell him things that he’d deny like ‘you aren’t really Shiro’ or ‘you don’t belong here.’ Honestly the voice was getting kind of annoying. 

 

_ “Tell me ‘Shiro’ do you believe that a soul can be trapped in the astral plane?”  _ The voice had asked. Honestly he didn’t know what to think, the concept seemed probable, but at the same time he didn’t want to believe it to be true. It was like he was lying to himself. But why? If he wanted to know the truth so bad then why did he persist in his avoidance? He groaned and sat up again turning on the comms. “Pidge do you think it’s possible to locate lance from the wormhole?” He asked. The only thing that met him was silence and Hunks tired sigh. “Pidge isn’t talking to anyone right now. They kinda just went to their room and screamed.” The silence was long and awkward as they sat there listening for anything else. Allura cleared her throat and calmly spoke “We should convene in the common room.” Hunk grunted and they both exited the comms. 

 

The walk into the common room was long. Shiro passed by Lance’s room, he stopped for a moment to contemplate if he should look inside. Just to see if he was dreaming or not. He didn’t want Lance to be gone, they finally talked for once since the plant incident. 

It was weird after that, Lance seemed to just pull away, as if speaking to Shiro caused him physical harm. He put his hand on the door and slid it down. He pulled his hand back as it burned on the door. “What the hell?” His hand was bright red as he looked at it. The door only seemed to increase in heat as he tried to open it. Was his room on fire? How would that even happen there is nothing in there that could cause a flame as far as he knew. 

 

Hunk and Allura has come around a corner and gasped as they saw Shiro struggling to n the door. Even from afar they could see a faint glow emanating from the door as the heat rose higher and higher. Hunk rushed forward and pulled Shiro away just as the door opened and released a hot spray of steam. The inside of the room was so hot that the plastic bottle next to Lance’s bed had melted. Allura slowly entered the room and paused. “There is a ton of quintessence in here. It’s almost as if the red lion had claimed it as her own room. It’s protected with a barrier but why?” She traced her hand in the door frame and frowned when nothing happened. 

 

“Hunk can you come here for a moment?” Hunk jumped and nodded before going into the room. “Huh it’s still hot but not nearly as hot as before.” He says curiously. Shiro went to enter but backed off when a barrier of heat blocked him. The room was rejecting him. It was as if it had deemed him as unworthy and refused to allow him in. It was just like Lance.

 

Shiro lowered his head and clenched his fist. He deserved this, he allowed the owner to be taken and now it was angry. Allura and Hunk looked at him concerned “what should we do Shiro?” Hunk said nervously. Shiro shook his head “we should just head to the common room.” He walked away from the door, and the whispers of the two people inside. 

  
  
  
  


Hunk and Allura looked around the room before settling their gaze to a book on the bed. It’s cover read ‘Lance’s thoughts during a space disaster’ Hunk picked it up and chuckled. Lance was always funny and a goofball even when he wasn’t there. The thought quickly went from happy to sad when Hunk began to sniffle. Allura wrapped him in a hug and ran her fingers in his hair. 

 

“Shh it’s ok, he’ll be okay. For all we know he was transferred to a system where he’ll be safe.” She tried to sooth his nerves but he only seemed to cry harder. “But he’s still gone! We could have done something Allura. We could have protected him from that blast but we didn’t. We watched as he ran straight into danger and did nothing to stop him.” He was right and Allura couldn’t tell him otherwise. But why did it have to be Lance? Normally it’s Shiro, but Lance had instead taken his place. They hadn’t even been able to finish their earlier conversation. What was lance about to say? She apologized to Hunk and quickly dragged him out of the room closing the door on the way. She’d get to the bottom of this. If not for her friend then for her peace of mind.

 

* * *

 

 

Pidge was in the common room on their tablet scrolling through video feeds of the battle. Thankfully both green and the castle record and upload data and video feed to the main storage unit. They kept rewinding and pausing at the moment Lance disappeared. But as soon as Shiro walked is they set the tablet down. A glare adorned their face and Shiro had the decency to look guilty. “What were you thinking?” Pidge asked quietly. “I- it’s just- I don’t know.” He seemed to have trouble forming his thoughts and that only spurred Pidge into more anger. 

“Well maybe if you were then we wouldn’t be in this situation! Dammit Shiro Lance was my friend. He was like a brother to me when Matt was gone. He was practically family and now he’s gone.” They had tears streaming down their face and Shiro let out a whine of his own at seeing them so sad. He’d make it up to them he swore, he’d find Lance.

 

Pidge had grown attached to Lance recently. After finding Lance hiding in his hanger having a panic attack they had learned to trust each other. Pidge had always thought Lance was ignorant of his surroundings but after spending time with him they understood the truth. Lance just wanted to be acknowledged just like them. He had family to protect and friends to help, hand he did do that but in his own way. Around Pidge he could be free to be what he wanted. Lance was actually quite smart, he knew the lions from the inside out and how to fix them appropriately as well. 

 

Pidge had asked him “Why did you learn this if you’re a pilot?” But he just shrugged. “Better to know how to fix your ship than rely on your team if they’re unable to help.”

It made sense, which is weird because Lance didn’t normally make any sense. It was as if underneath all that stupidity was an extremely smart person who was just very lonely. Pidge vowed that they would treat Lance with more respect, he’s not just the comic relief of this team, he’s part of this family.

 

The silence in the common room was awkward as Hunk and Allura entered. Coran was flitting around the room, his shoulders tense, his face looking older. Keith had walked in not long after looking tired. It’s these moments when the Paladins realize just how tense it is when Lance isn’t around. He helped brighten the mood or at least he did until he disappeared. 

 

Everyone sat quietly till Pidge spoke up breaking the silence. “We should be looking for him you know. Not just sitting here doing nothing.” 

 

Hunk nodded and looked toward Shiro as if to ask for approval. Shiro straightened up and cleared his throat. “I uh, yes we should start looking.” He looked around for a second. “Ah- princess is it possible to track where that wormhole opened up?” Allura nodded. “Unfortunately we’ve already tried, it's very likely they used multiple wormholes, because Lance isn’t there.” Coran says dejectedly. 

 

The normally chipper man sat down with a huff. “Oh, um ok then. Pidge, Hunk, do you think you could track the red lions signature? See if maybe it left a trail?” Hunk looked up thoughtfully “That could be possible but we’d need something linked to red.” Allura sat up quickly “What about the door? It’s covered in the red lions quintessence!” Hunk jumped up excitedly and nodded. Pidge and Keith on the other hand stared at them in confusion. “Magic door with the ability to burn you if you try to enter Lance’s room.”

 

Keith looked terrified for moment the mumbled quietly to himself. “What was that? You gotta speak up dude.” Hunk have him a warm smile and motioned for him to talk. “Um I was saying that, Lance had been having trouble with Red. He mentioned that Red wouldn’t stop flooding his brain with emotions. Like he looked mentally strained when he spoke to me.”

 

“But why would he tell you that?” Hunk questioned “he normally doesn’t want to ask you for anything.” 

 

“He was asking if I knew how to make her stop. But I’ve never really had her in my head unless I was in danger. It’s weird right? I’m not the only one who doesn’t talk to their lion.” The rest of them nodded in unison. 

 

“Even I’ve never had that connection. That is quite strange and I’m connected to lions for most of the time.” Allura paced around the room thinking for a moment. “If what you said was true Keith, then Red May have realized that Lance was in danger before he himself did. Maybe she was trying to protect him.”

 

“Alright well me and Pidge will try to work on getting a signal with the red lion. Allura if you could get a sample of quintessence that would be nice. Also, Shiro go to sleep. You look tired.” Hunk said turning and dragging Pidge away with him.

 

Keith stood up as well “I’ll go see if the blade knows anything. Maybe they’ll help us look.” He walked away with his head down and and a blank face. Allura followed after him and Coran stood up. 

 

“Hunk is right a number one. You need sleep, if not in your room, then in the Black lion.” Coran had excused himself afterwards saying that he needed to repair the food goo dispenser again. Shiro sat there for a bit longer. He couldn’t make any sense of it, why did the Red lion bond so much quicker with Lance? Even Blue had a better relationship with him than Allura.

 

Lance was seriously becoming a mystery to the team. They thought they had known everything about him, but he just keeps surprising them. Would he be a different person when he returned? That was something that Shiro feared the most. Not because he’d change, but because he would most likely hate Shiro for causing him to be in this mess. 

 

Shiro walks down the halls passing by Lance’s room again and then headed straight to the black lion. “Let’s see what we can do buddy.”


	3. The Lion, the witch,and the backstory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance finds comfort in knowing who is good and who is bad. A story told brings with it great responsibility for those who learned from it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!WARNING!!   
> Slightly Gorey elements near the end but not so much that you’ll be sick.

Lance awoke to the sound of the sliding door opening. It had been three days and Ta’ruk was still not back. He was beginning  to wonder if he ever would return. Lance was expecting to see a Galra soldier carrying in food as they had done for the past three days but instead was surprised to find Haggar in all her witchy glory standing in the doorway.

 

“Boy, you need to come with me.” She said and curled her finger as if to tell him ‘come here right now’ it reminded him of his mother. God he missed his mother. He refused to move and instead glared at her. She sighed briefly before grabbing him with her weird magic powers. ‘What the hell? Is she Darth Vader all of a sudden?’ He thought as he squirmed in her hold of him. 

 

It was weird, kinda like being weightless in a pool of water. He missed the water. The beach was always his favorite place to go on earth. He wondered if maybe he could find a planet with beautiful beaches like earth. 

 

He was tossed into an observation room and immediately bombarded with druids who removed his damaged armor. It had broken when a Galra soldier kneed him in the chest when he tried to fight his way out of his cell. He was fine with it till one of them tried to remove the under armor. They lifted the shirt portion up a little and he started thrashing. They were holding him down then trying to get him to stop but he struggled more. ‘It’s just like the garrison. They’re going to hurt me too aren’t they?’ 

 

His movements became even more desperate as they attempted to strap him down to a table. But then suddenly they stopped and Haggar had appeared. She shushed him and gently ran her long nails through his hair. He was confused and scared ‘why was she being so nice?.’ Haggar had the rest of the druids leave except one. She turned and made her way to a syringe and picked it up. She tested it quickly and came back over to Lance who had a worried look on his face.

 

“You- you’re not- what are you going to do with that?” He asked desperately. She raised her hand in a calming manner. It was strange, she was being so comforting, and yet she was the enemy. 

 

Haggar grabbed his arm suddenly and slowly inserted the needle. It was painless-had she numbed his arm?- yet a pressure could still be felt. “This may sting a bit.” She warned. And she was right, the fluid entered his arms and suddenly it felt like he was on fire. 

 

He grit his teeth and swallowed down a scream that threatened to escape. The Druid who was standing there hurriedly ran over and placed a hand on his head. There was a wave of cold cascading down his body and he no longer felt hot. Why were they being so gentle with him? His body relaxed and he felt sated like he just had the best massage. His mind became numb and his thoughts were blurring together till a voice entered his mind. 

 

 

* * *

  
  
  


“ _ Paladin? My paladin. Please wake up. Please- _ “ who was that? Haggar? No the voice was too soft. Was it Allura? No she’s far away from here. “ _ Paladin _ !” There it was again. Who was it? “ _ Paladin please! My cub! _ ” Cub? Like a lion cub? Wait- Red? There was a purr in his mind now as Red confirmed. 

 

‘ _ You can talk?’  _ When did this happen? “ _ Yes my cub. Please you must wake up.”  _ She said desperately. ‘ _ What do you mean? I am awake.’  _ Red growled suddenly and he had a feeling he was wrong. “ _ Drugs Paladin. They put you to sleep. Lion was worried for cub.”  _

 

Lance shivered as a cold breeze washed over him. He opened his eyes and was once again in the dark room he had entered in before. His eyes adjusted perhaps way too quickly as if he was used to it by now. ‘ _ How long was I out?’  _ He looked around the room then gasped as he looked down at himself.

 

He was covered in scars on his legs and arms. Bruises littered his body and pain radiated from his left wrist. Was it broken? No, it was most likely just sprained. But as he lifted it the fingers barely moved. It was like Ta’ruk but this time he was the one badly injured. 

 

Speaking of Ta’ruk how long has he been gone? How long had lance been gone? Was his team ok without him? ‘ _ Probably’ _ he thought woefully. Red seemed to disagree as she growled and replied  _ “Team needs us. Pride is un-whole without us. Cub must be strong for pride.” _ Lance smiles and nods in understanding. Yeah they needed him, it wasn’t Voltron without the red lion and her pilot. 

 

He struggled to stand up as his knees buckled and muscles screamed in protest. His head, while awake and thinking, felt foggy and sluggish. He was confused as to what had happened while he was out. Obviously he was tortured but why did they do it while he was unconscious? He wondered for a while longer till a bang on the door startled him.

 

The door slid open and a Druid stepped in. Their cloak was up and the guards behind them shook in fear. Apparently they were a big deal, even Haggar didn’t seem to scare them as much. 

 

The Druid moved toward him and he backed away slowly. The guards closed the door locking them in together. Lance tensed as his back hit the wall behind him. The Druid had not stopped in its pursuit, reaching its hand out in a calming motion. Then Lance stopped, looking at the hand in recognition.

 

“You’re the Druid who put me to sleep.” The Druid stopped and cocked their head to the side. They stood for a second then held out their hand. “Do you want something?” The Druid sighed and grabbed his hand. A bright blue light emanated from the druids hand. It spread like a wildfire through this body easing the ache in his muscles and made his skin glow youthfully. It was strangely cool like the beach water that he’d jump in as a kid, yet it was also warm like the sun beating down on his skin when the skies were clear. Swirls of blue light appeared on his skin as the quintessence engulfed his body in a soothing touch.

 

“I can’t heal your fractured ribs but any cuts and bruises will disappear. You might be a bit sleepy.” Lance nodded as the Druid spoke. They had a very masculine voice yet their body and hands were feminine. “You aren’t even supposed to be conscious. Haggar injected you with a truth serum. But you somehow managed to resist it.” They had and impressed lilt to their voice.

 

Lance’s legs had apparently given out as the Druid rushed to catch him. The marks on his body hadn’t disappeared and the Druid traced one on his face. The gesture felt familiar, if he remembered correctly, his mother would do the same thing when he was a child. She called him something that he couldn’t remember for the moment. “Son of the moon.” The Druid spoke in a surprised voice. Yes that was it. He was called moonchild by his mother. How had the Druid known? 

 

Lance couldn’t think anymore as his mind clouded over in a fog of coolness. The world around him blurred once more and the Druid laid him down on the floor. The feeling of hands left his body and the soft tapping of footsteps slowly drifted away. Then suddenly darkness overtook him once again.

  
  


* * *

 

 

 

This time when Lance awoke he was surprised to find himself laying on a table in the observation room. Haggar stood looking up at a chart caressing the lines in a soft touch. She had a look of softness in her eyes as she held up another chart. It was similar but had a different color altogether. The new chart was a pale turquoise while the first one -he assumes is his- is an almost white color on the black background.

 

Lance shifts uncomfortably on the table and groans when something sharp stabs into his side. Haggar's head snaps to his direction with wide eyes. A look of surprise adorning her features. She hurriedly rushes over and pull out a tube from his hip. It was full of a translucent red liquid that became almost black as it touched open air. His confusion must have been apparent as Haggar shrugged and chuckled.

 

“You gave us a scare there Moonchild.” He tilted his head at the name. He remembered the Druid also calling him something similar. His mother would say it as well but he was too young to really understand what it meant. “You had a fever when I came to get you. You almost died but it seems that the lions are good for something other than just being a weapon.” What does that mean? Had Red done something?

 

Lance looked around the room for the first time since his last encounter in it. It was actually quite tranquil, instead of the purple lights that covered the galra ship, there were pale blue ones that adorned the walls. A bright light of white hung in the center of the domed ceiling. A wall of ingredients and tools to the left caught his eye. A crystal sat on the middle shelf, it was full of red quintessence that glowed as he looked at it. It felt familiar to him and he pointed to it. 

 

Haggar followed his hand and nodded before walking over to it and grabbing it. “This is the red lions quintessence. Despite your lions violent exposition, her quintessence actually aided in your healing process. It burned away all of the infection in your bloodstream and replaced the damaged cells with a stronger variant.” She was impressed and Lance felt happy as Red took notice of the praise and preened in his mind. 

 

Though he was comfortable in the silence as Haggar continued to work, he had questions he wanted answered. “Why haven’t you killed me yet?” He asked while Haggar held up a tube of what looked like blood. She contemplated her answer for a couple ticks before shrugging.

 

“I suppose you remind me of someone I lost a while back.” She looked down with a frown. “You’re very similar in ways you could never understand.” This piqued Lance’s interest and he gave her a gesture to continue.

 

“Well you see, long before Zarkon began his long rule I had a very close friend. She was like a sister to me and I enjoyed every second we spent together.” She had a small smile on her face. “At first we hated each other. We were enemies trying to tear the other down. But I learned from her just as much as she learned from me. Every time we built something we’d critique the others build. Perhaps the power output was too low or the quintessence would clash ina certain part. But the most important thing as that we helped build the others mind. We reshaped ourselves and developed a bond like no other. To us, we were family and nothing would tear us apart.”

 

Lance watched as the emotions spread across Haggar’s face. She no longer looked like a witch but rather a mourning sister who lost their whole world. “One day she vanished, just ‘poof’, gone never to be seen again.” Her hands clenched. “After that things started to become unstable. I became engulfed in my studies of quintessence. Then Alfor had come to me and asked me a question I never thought I’d get the chance to say yes to.” She looked straight at Lance and with confidence she said “He asked me to help build Voltron. But in my grieving I denied the offer. At least at first I denied it.”

 

She turned to look at the charts again “But one day while looking through her things I found a schematic for a build she was planning to make. The Black lion and the Red lion were drawn on paper in her notebook. A plan to create a partner that could last as long as you wanted. A sentient robot that could share its life with you. That were amazing and beautifully designed. I regret not being able to create a perfect replica. But you can only do so much when you scale up something so small to be a giant Mecha lion.” A look of pride spread across her face and she smiled again. 

 

“I brought the schematics for the lions to Alfor who approved them and I began to work on them immediately. And finally when they were complete they began to awaken. It had worked and the members of Voltron could connect with their own lions.” Red was quiet for a while before giving a chuff that screamed pride. 

 

“That was all before I had met the Zarkon I had fallen in love with. It had been many phoebs passed but even then she helped me. Her words of confidence from the past had given me courage to be with Zarkon. But I was obsessed with the power of quintessence. My obsession led us to the hole in time where I lost myself. The destruction of Daibazaal was my own fault and yet Zarkon hadn’t cared. I even denied my own son and pretended to be someone else.”

 

Lance could tell she regretted her choices but she also had a look of resolve telling him otherwise. “Why didn’t you stop any of this from happening?” He asked and Haggar shrugged and began working again. “I wasn’t myself. None of my memories were intact and even if I wanted to stop I couldn’t. I was possessed by something. The only thing it wants is destruction. Even now I’m fighting it just to tell you this. I apologize for my behavior if I am ever taken over again. But I have to ask you something.”

 

Lance was worried for split second before he looked into her eyes. They had a pleading look to them. “If I am to ever fully lose myself, I want you to kill me. Would you do that?” Her face had taken on an older look. She looked like his mother whenever he did something dangerous. It was a look that said ‘I would do anything to protect the ones I love’ and in that moment Lance nodded. He’d do it even if the universe begged him not to. 

 

Haggar’s shoulders slumped in relief as she began pouring a green liquid into a bowl of what looked like butterflies with broken wings. They were a bright blue with pink edges on their wings. Instead of the rounded wings he was used to seeing they were diamond shaped. Almost immediately they were devoured by the liquid and melted into a mass black goo. 

 

“Why did you do that?” He asked and Haggar raised her eyebrow. “These creatures are an invasive species. They’re also extremely poisonous. But if consumed that cause a numbness to your entire body. But mixed together with this.” She hold up the green liquid “It can make the recipient feel extreme pain from even the slightest of touches. The best part is that the person can’t move.”

 

She gave a sad look towards Lance and proceeded to click a button. Suddenly Lance is strapped to the table and his mouth is forcibly opened. “I’m sorry about this. But I must keep up appearances. You see, the others are watching.” And he does see, there are Galra standing behind the viewing glass, waiting, watching. They’re there for the pleasure his pain brings them. “Please do not think less of me for what I’m about to do. I myself do not believe in sending children into a battle so I’ll attempt to make this less painful.”

 

Lance could already tell that he was unable to move. The muscles in his clenched hand started to relax without his consent and his mouth went slack. But he could still feel the biting pain of Haggar's claws on his skin. Then without warning she twisted the middle finger of his hand backwards. He screamed in pain unable to stop himself as tears beaded at his eyes. He knew this was the beginning of a long and arduous night. His only respite is the sight of the Druid from earlier entering through the sliding door rushing in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3!!! I had to re-write it because I noticed that things were progressing too quickly and nothing really made sense. So! Haggar is actually a pretty good person in this one!   
> I’ve had a few friends read it over and they’ve given their own theories of how the feature will play out. What do you think will happen? Why do you think Lance is called Moonchild?
> 
> Also there will be sneak peaks of the next chapter at the end of each one so here’s the sneak peak of chapter 4!
> 
> “They said that Shiro was acting different but when your gone for so long you don’t tend to notice the changes. But as Keith takes a look at Shiro he sees someone different. This isn’t his brother and he’s going to find out who it really is.”


	4. The Book of Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is finding things wrong with Shiro everyday and Hunk seems to have some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to have this out Yesterday on Christmas but I had to cancel because someone broke into my house. Oh yay. You would think people would be smart enough not to break in on the day that everyone would be home, but no, people are just kinda dumb. They did unfortunately manage to break my computer. Normally I write on there but I am now forced to write on my iPad.
> 
> Anyway! Happy late Holidays and all that good stuff. Enjoy!

Shiro hadn’t fallen asleep in about 4 days. He wasn’t even tired which scared him more than anything else. Luckily no one seemed to realize it as the days went on. Unfortunately Pidge still seemed angry and actively avoided him. Hunk was still a willing participant in the day to day activities but seemed to be reading a book at anytime he wasn’t busy. Allura still talked to him about plans of action when traveling to distress signals, which was great and all, but he just wants a regular conversation. Even Keith had pulled away a bit. 

 

Coran on the other hand, he’d taken the biggest hit with Lance’s disappearance. His normally sunny disposition had dimmed to a dull grey as his features showed someone much older. He was slower to get things done and often had no motivation to do anything. You could often find him cleaning Lance’s room and taking care of his plants. Said plants were apparently a new addition as they hadn’t been there when Hunk and Allura had entered. Things were growing in his room that had no place being there. It was like a jungle of flowers and vines. It was so full of life and warmth yet everything around it seemed dead and cold.

 

Shiro sighed and rested his head back into his seat. He’d stayed in the Black lion ever since Lance left. Weirdly enough having conversations with yourself actually helps -even though said self often comments that you are someone else- and soothes your mind. His conversations would last hours until Keith would come up and grab him to eat and try to sleep. Which resulted in a whiny Shiro who tried to grip onto the ship as Keith dragged him out by the ankles. 

 

Black hadn’t really given him much hope in finding Lance. That was until yesterday, when a galra fleet was attacking the Castle, all of the lions had shut down and no one could connect with them, but then a loud roar was heard by everyone and suddenly a force field of red quintessence surrounded the Castle protecting it from a blast directed at the front. Black had recognized the quintessence immediately and screamed about the red lion in his head. But it might have actually been himself since it was his voice. It’s hard to tell when your own lion impersonates your voice.

 

Pidge was able to finish the locator and had tracked down Reds signal almost immediately. A trail of quintessence was spread throughout the entire galaxy as Red lead them on track to the Galra ship that contained it. But as suddenly as it came the trail vanished. Everyone was stunned as the trail led to a dead end. It just disappeared like it never existed at all. But it had, there was proof in the rest of the trail they’d already followed. Something must have happened to Lance as the lion wouldn’t have just given up.

 

Upon learning this, Everyone silently mourned the loss of the Paladin. Pidge had ran to their room again in an angry fit and Hunk followed after but not before giving Shiro a wary look. It still confused him, everyone was pulling away from him and he didn’t know why. Coran had sat down next to him one day and looked at him before silently saying “It’s not your fault. They just don’t know how to talk to you. They know you blame yourself but they don’t know how to tell you otherwise.” It made sense. Everyone has a different way of mourning and Shiro's just happened to be silence.

 

Shiro jumped in his chair as a loud bang sounded below him. Blacks mouth was open and the sound of feet clicking up the bridge got closer. Keith entered the cockpit with crossed arms and a frown on his face. “Is it that third already?” Keith gave him a look as if to say ‘duh what else would I be here for?’ Shiro sighed and stood up. His bones popped and cracked as he stretched and shuffled towards the exit. 

 

Keith stopped him with hand on his shoulder. A look of concern flashed in his eyes before it was replaced by a dull calmness. “You can talk to me you know. I may not be the black paladin anymore but I’m here for you shiro.” Shiro just huffed and pushed his way past and out of the cockpit leaving a shocked Keith behind.

  
  


 

* * *

  
  


 

When Keith finally heard Shiro leave the hangar he fully moved into the black lion. He shuffled around looking at everything closely as if something was going to pop out at him and attack. After deeming the area safe he sat in Blacks chair and leaned his head on his hand. His huff of boredom seemed to spur the lion to life as the lights clicked on to a higher brightness and the screen lit up. 

 

The lion purred when he caressed the dashboard lightly. He hadn’t fully been in the lion in a while. At least not by himself, Shiro was always in there as well, and even if he wanted to he couldn’t just boot him out of Black. Though he doesn’t think the lion would mind. Much like everyone else, Black hadn’t really taken a liking to Shiro after he came back. He could see why now.

 

Shiro changed drastically after his disappearance. He radiated this feeling of constant anger as if he was always about to explode. He would shout at them for doing something wrong and always seemed to have something to say. The only time he wasn’t on edge was when Lance was around. Even then he’d sometimes take his anger out on him. He didn’t believe them at first. He was gone for a while with the blade and hadn’t been there to witness him at his worst.

 

A window popped up on Blacks screen showing video footage of Shiro as he walks down the hall.  They said that Shiro was acting different, but when your gone for so long you don’t tend to notice the changes. But as Keith takes a look at Shiro he sees someone different. This isn’t his brother and he’s going to find out who it really is. 

 

Black chuffed at him and a warm feeling enveloped his chest. She agreed with him and growled loudly in warning as the door to the hangar opened once again. But she quieted as, instead of Shiro, Hunk walked in warily with that strange book in his hand. He’d been carrying it around a lot lately and Keith was beginning to wonder if it was some sort of bible or something. 

 

“Keith? Are you in there buddy? Shiro said I might find you in here.” Hunk stumbled as Black opened her mouth again. ‘When had she closed it?’ Keith swiveled the chair around as Hunk made his way into the cockpit. “Oh there you are! I’ve been looking everywhere.” Keith gave him a questioning look.

 

“Oh right sorry, I had a few questions about Shiro that I want answered.” He began, Keith held up his hand and pointed at the book. “Is it the reason you’ve been carrying that book around?” Hunk looked down and back up a few times “Yes?” He said with slight hesitance.

 

“Is that a confirmation or a question?” Keith asks with a sigh. Hunk shrugged before opening the book up to a random page. “So I was wondering, does Shiro often have mood swings?” Keith shook his head. Hunk pulled out a piece of paper and crossed out something unseen. “Ok, does he prefer being alone or around colleagues?” Keith was slowly becoming unnerved but answered anyway. “He prefers being around others.”

 

Hunk crossed out another thing. “Has he ever been unnecessarily violent to anyone? Friends or enemies included.” At that Keith shook his head with wide eyes. “No he’s never been violent. He’s always been a pacifist.” Hunk crossed out another thing on the list. “Hunk what is this about, and what does the book have to do with it?” Hunk sighed and held up the cover of the book. It was in Altean at first until it switched to English text. It read ‘The truth’ in an ominous font, as if it was never meant to be read at all. 

 

Hunk brought the book down to his lap again. “Lance has been using it as a journal since last month. At first he was writing about how excited he was about getting Shiro back and that we could move on with our lives. But recently his writing changed and slowly turned to darker thoughts.” Hunk sighed and hugged to book to his chest.

 

“At first I thought nothing of it because sometimes Lance gets like that. He just wakes up one day and he realizes how much he really misses home. It’s not unusual but it’s happened more often now that we’re out here in space.” Keith nodded at that. He understood what it was like to miss his home. He missed his old home, not the shack in the desert, but his old one with his father. So yes, he could understand the feeling of not being home. But it still doesn’t explain why Hunk asked those questions.

 

Hunk pulled out a diamond shaped device that lit up a bright blue. “Well as it turns out the writing was worse that I thought. I don’t know if it was Lance or somehow the book was sentient, but when this light was put on the pages, new text would appear over the old one.” As an example he shined the light on the page and a bright pink ink appeared. It was weird, the writing was more frantic than the normal scrawl that adorned the pages. It was as if whoever wrote it -be it Lance or the book itself- was rushed and in pain somehow. The writing was shaky and scratched into the page as if it was hard to write. And in a sense it must have been hard to write it. 

 

Hunk spoke up as Keith began to read the pages. “I haven’t read the whole thing but from what I can tell, Lance was scared of being here with us. But most of all he was scared of Shiro.” He flipped a couple pages over and readjusted the light. The writing was worse on this page. But not only that, there was blood on the corner of the page signifying that at some point, Lance was bleeding. 

 

“Since it hard to read I’ll just tell you what it says.” Hunk huffed out after looking at the blood. “It says-“

  
  
  


* * *

 

 

_ “I awoke today with a feeling that something was wrong. Dios mio was I right. I don’t know why but Shiro was angry today. Maybe it was because of training, but I thought we’d done fine. Hunk and pudge felt successful, hell even Allura thought we did great. But Shiro was pissed. I needed to know why so I followed him back to his room. _

 

_ That was apparently the wrong thing to do. I know because I now have a busted nose and a bleeding lip. I don’t know if it’s normal but Shiro is very violent when he’s angry. I hadn’t even said anything upsetting, even I know when to be serious. Though it’s hard to believe when I act like an idiot more often than not. Apparently Shiro disagreed as when I went to apologize for doing something wrong he stopped me. And by stopped I mean he punched me in the face.  _

 

_ I said ‘what the hell man I just want to know what’s wrong’ and he just ignored me and told me to leave. But I guess I’m some sort of masochist because I got right back up and asked him again ‘what the hell is wrong’ to which he replied with another pun He to the face and a kick to the stomach that pushed me out of his room. _

 

_ This makes no sense to me, why is Shiro acting like this? Did I do something wrong or does he just hate me? I wonder if Keith knows, I should ask him later. For now I’ll keep an eye on him and help anyone he yells at. _

  
  


 

* * *

 

 

 

Keith shuddered as the light clicked off. Had Shiro really does that? He’s never been that violent to anyone. It made no sense at all but it did confirm Keith’s suspicions. That really isn’t Shiro and he needs to do something about it. “Who else knows about this?” He asked Hunk who was crossing out more words on his sheet of paper.

 

“Well Pidge knows but they really don’t want to talk about it. Oh and Allura, but she doesn’t know nearly as much as me. I wanted to make sure she doesn’t act too quickly if we don’t know the full story. That’s why I came to you, we needed to know if this really was Shiro or some weird body double. Which I don’t want it to be, but at the same time, it’d make so much more sense.”

 

Keith hummed in thought. “It definitely not Shiro, he’d never do anything so horrible. Even Black agrees and she’s his lion so if anything she knows better than us. The lion rumbled underneath them in confirmation and then growled softly in warning when the door to the hangar opened to reveal just the man they were talking about. 

 

Hunk quickly hid the book and paper inside his pockets and stood up. Keith nodded to Hunk and together they walked down the bridge and out of the lion. “Oh hey Shiro, did you enjoy dinner?” Hunk asked awkwardly. Shiro raised a brow and looked at Keith who shrugged. “Um yeah sure it was great. Did you do something to the goo? It was different today.” He asked hunk who nodded eagerly. “Oh yeah I added some of the juice from those fruits I grabbed from that planet last week. They were pretty sweet so I thought that adding it to the goo would be a nice change.”

 

They stood there awkwardly for a tick before Hunk grabbed Keith by the arm “Oh yeah I needed to borrow him for a moment to check something out in the lab. He’s small enough to fit in the vents there so it’ll be a help.” He waved back as he walked away dragging Keith along. Shiro just shook his head and walked back into the lion.

 

Outside the hangar Hunk sighed in relief and kept moving down the hall with Keith. “We should have a meeting with Pidge and Allura. Maybe they know a way to see who he really is and if we can get the real Shiro back.” Keith nodded and grunted in confirmation. “Oh and I was being serious about the vent thing by the way.” Keith made of noise of protest but succumbed to Hunk dragging him down the hall. 

 

This was going to be a long trip. But at least they can make it interesting.


	5. Can I help you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HEY BIG OL WARNING HERE   
> THE FIRST PART OF THIS CHAPTER HAS GORE AND LOTS OF OTHER SHIT! 
> 
> If you wish not to read it then you can skip to the next section as indicated by the line in the middle of the screen.
> 
> ALSO SECTION 2 HAS A SLIGHT PANIC ATTACK  
> but it’s very small and really has no detail so it should be fine for the most part.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway! It’s good to see you guys again! Wow 3 days already huh? 
> 
> Well this chapter has a little bit of fluff near the middle and a lot of hype near the end so enjoy! 
> 
> On a side note: we might have a very Lance oriented fic soon! Get hyped my dudes cause we’re just getting started.

If Lance was counting correctly then he’d been laying here for a total of two vargas. At this point he was numb to the pain he was feeling. After being tortured for so long your brain stops perceiving the pain in your limbs as it realizes that it can’t stop whatever is causing it. A numbness spreads through your body in its last ditch effort to not feel pain. The only thing that he feels is a small tingle in his left leg. Which is currently bent the wrong direction.

 

He doesn’t notice when they stop hitting him. He doesn’t even notice when they leave him bloody and bruised. His skin is burnt and cut open in places that hadn’t been that way before. His right leg was cut open to reveal the tendons and muscles that were torn apart by their hunting knives. The bone underneath was crushed by the sheer force of their grip. But he didn’t notice it one bit. Nor did he notice the blood pouring from his ripped open stomach which currently twitched as his organs began to shut down. 

 

His heart began to slow and the sound of rushing water filled his ears. He couldn’t see out of his eyes. Those were the first to go when he was officially open to the galra commander who had entered the room. His eyes were apparently too unsightly and should never have been allowed to see the beauty that is the Druid beside him. Not that he was able to see them anyway with the cloak and mask. The commander had spit in his face when he said so. But when Lance laughed at him his anger flared. Grabbing Lances hair was easy as it had started to grow out from the moment he entered the ship. He was gagged in an instant and pushed back onto his table.

 

The sight of a hot object coming into view confused him at first. But then he had realized it was coming closer. “Perhaps we should fix you huh? Take away your vision forever. Never let you see our pretty faces ever again.” Lance shook his head and pleaded through his gag. But the Commander didn’t listen, he pressed the hot metal onto his eyes that started to burn immediately. Then there was a scuffle as the Druid next to him seemed to have pushed the commander away.

 

The Druid was his only saving grace as Haggar had left not long after her initial beating. She for the most part had the decency to look guilty at first. But as she went on she became more violent and started to enjoy it. But before she could do any true damage she seemed to snap out of it. She had left after whispering to the druid who nodded and healed the wounds on Lance during that time.

 

The quintessence that healed him was always soothing. The coolness of ocean waves lapping at his skin and sinking into his body to cool the burning fire that was pain. He always felt refreshed after that, he wanted it to stay but it always left him just as he finally felt the burning stop. It wasn’t the same this time though.

 

He felt the coolness wash over his body in a harsh icy frost. It wasn’t the cool beach waves like before, it was harsh like frozen lakes and a blizzard in winter. It felt like his body was freezing from the inside out. In an attempt to stop it a gurgling noise left his mouth. Liquid dripped down his neck and joined the puddle of wetness beneath him.

 

He couldn’t see it but they had tried to rip his esophagus out. The muscles in his neck constricted as his skin stitched itself back together and everything placed themselves back in the right order they had come from. His heart beat faster in his chest as all his organs began to rebuild themselves and were placed one by one back into his chest cavity. 

 

At this point the coldness started to burn worse than the initial heat that had taken his eyes from him. He was starting to feel again and in response he keened in agony as his leg bones were shifted into the right place and the quintessence wrapped itself around them in an icy coldness. He didn’t know if it was blood or tears that released itself from his tear duct but at the moment he didn’t care. He was in so much pain that his brain short circuited and he began to seize up.

 

The next thing he remembers was two sets of hand holding him down as he broke through the cuffs on his wrist and ankles. He screamed and banged his head on the table as a scratching began to make itself known in his eyes. His hands made their way up to his face where he began to claw into his eye sockets and tried to pull out the useless orbs. He was shaking badly and all his muscles tended to the point of pain and then nothing. All the pain was gone, replaced by a cold numbness. 

 

Was he dead finally? No that wasn’t it. He could finally hear the shuffling of feet and the muffled sound of voices that had a worried lilt. He was so tired, he didn’t know if his eyes were closed, but it didn’t matter. He sighed and fell into the darkness in the back of his mind. 

  
  


* * *

 

 

 

When he next awoke he didn’t know where he was. He couldn’t see anything at all. Darkness filled his vision and he attempted to find some sort of light. Why couldn’t he see anything? He reached up to his face to see if a blindfold was wrapped there but found nothing. He touched his eyes and found scars covering his face. That didn’t mean anything right? He wasn’t blind. There was no way that could happen. 

 

He was healed right after wasn’t he? They could heal his eyes just fine. The sound of a door opening and caught his attention. He turned his head towards the sound and heard a sharp intake of breath from the same area. He couldn’t see anything still. Maybe they had the lights off for some reason. 

 

The sound of feet hitting the metal floor came closer and then he felt the heat of another body near him. He could smell the person next to him clearly. A scent of antiseptic and the ocean. It was as if he was in a hospital next to the beach. A wet and salty kind of smell that remained even after you took a shower to get the sand out of your hair. Why could he smell them so well? 

 

His hearing was intense as well. He knew the person couldn’t be less than two feet away and yet he could hear their soft breathing as clear as day. The person shifted awkwardly and he assumes put their hand on his shoulder. It was heavy, as if they were trying to ground him into the floor. But they had moved it so softly. It didn’t make sense to him. All his senses were so intense yet his eyes still couldn’t see anything. 

 

He attempted to look towards the person and in turn felt the person tense up. “What’s wrong with me?” He asked. They didn’t answer, only released a harsh breath of air. “Why can’t I see? What happened to me?” He tried again desperately. He was beginning to hyperventilate as they kept quiet.

 

“Why won’t you answer me!” He yelled at them. Then a small voice spoke up. “I’m so sorry.” They said quietly. Then the dams broke and Lance sobbed. Tear streamed down his face as he reached out to grip the robes on the figure in front of him. His sobs soon led to even more hyperventilating and then he couldn’t breath. He couldn’t breath and so he freaked out. His hands clenching tightly on the the arms of the person holding him. A grunt of pain left them and they pulled him closer. 

 

“Shh breath, come on breath with me.” They said calmly while stroking his back softly. “In through the nose and hold.” Lance followed the directions shakily. “Now out through the mouth for eight ticks.” He breathed out slowly and hiccuped. Lance repeated the process five times before he could breathe evenly again. Meanwhile the person made shushing noises and continued to run their hand up and down his back. “There you go, is that better?” Lance nodded slowly.

 

The person shifted and sat with him pulling him into their lap and rocking him slowly. It felt like home for only the briefest of moments. It reminded him of when his mother would hum and rock him back to sleep after he’d wake from a particularly intense dream. He could never remember what they were about but his mother seemed to know almost immediately when he tried to describe them. It was weird that he found so much trust and love in the same place that he’d been tortured and hurt. But he found comfort in realizing that the druids seemed to care for him. He found even more comfort in knowing that Haggar would not kill him.

 

The rocking slowed to a stop and the person holding him released their grip and settled his back onto the small makeshift bed that he’d made from the terrible blankets they provided when he first got there. It wasn’t until the door opened that Lance noticed they had moved away. “Wait” He said softly. They stopped and he assumed turned towards him again. “Who are you?” He asked.

 

“Corlio” They said back to him quietly. “Will you return?” The person made a humming noise. “Yes, tomorrow I will return to check on you.” Lance nodded as the door shut behind the Druid.

 

“Corlio huh? What a weird name.” He mumbled to himself as he laid down again and curled his knees to his chest.

  
  
  


* * *

 

 

 

Corlio did in fact return. Actually Corlio would come to him everyday and bring him food. He -Lance found out after calling him a girl- would have to feed him as Lance wasn’t able to see his own food anymore. It was nice in a way, he would come in and feed him, Lance would ask questions and Corlio being friendly would answer them. It was a system for the most part, a crappy system since Corlio would sometimes be late, but a system nonetheless. 

 

One day Corlio came in with a heavy smell on him. It stunk strongly of smoke and soured milk. Lance had come to know that certain smells were related to emotions of the person they came from. If you get to know the person and their original scent, then you can automatically know when they are feeling something as their natural scent changes from good smells to not so good smells. And currently Corlio the Druid who normally smells of ocean water and hospital rooms, smells like he was caught on fire then drank the world's most expired milk. 

 

“Wow what happened to you?” He breathed out. He coughed for a second before deciding to ignore the rancid smell radiating from the man. Corlio huffed and sat across from Lance. “Stupid rookies got into my supply closet and nearly broke all of my stuff. Most of it was glass so I had to clean it out and sweep up all the broken vials on the floor. God they’re just so fucking stupid!” He yelled loudly for the two guards at the door to hear. 

 

Lance sweatdropped and held up his hands in a calming manner. “Calm down dude, I didn’t teach you that language so you could yell at people with it.” Corlio grunted angrily. “I thought it was meant to be used as an insult.” He said matter of factly. “Well yeah but not where they can hear you. I swear if my mom heard me swearing I’d have my ass beaten black and blue. Corlio got silent after that and Lance tilted his head in question.

 

“Lance you aren’t supposed to turn those colors. Why would she do that?” He sounded concerned and Lance cackled loudly at him. “It’s just and expression a Corlio calm down. It signifies that I’d be in a lot of trouble if I used that language around her. She wouldn’t actually hurt me.” Corlio seemed to calm down as his scent when from the sharp metal smell of fear to a cool fresh rain scent. Corlio unpacked whatever was for lunch that day and placed the container on the floor. It smelled great, like spiced curry, freshly made with a side of steaming hot rice. His mouth watered at the idea of earth foods.

 

He waited for the sound of clinking metal but lifted his brow when instead the metal touched his hand. “I want you to try and eat by yourself today.” Corlio said hesitantly. The smell of metal permeated from Corlio like he was scared that Lance would get angry at him. Lance instead shrugged and went to reach for the bowl. Corlio handed it to him gently and pulled his hand away quickly when Lance gripped the side. Carefully Lance dipped the spoon into whatever liquid was being fed to him.

 

It was hard at first, trying to remember where your mouth is on your face is hard when you can’t see where the spoon is. But he got the hang of it quickly and at that point Corlio calmed down again. It was quiet and stayed that way for a long time till Lance finished his meal. It wasn’t curry that’s for sure but it had similar tastes. Thought there was a grain in there that could have been rice but he wasn’t sure. His body shivered in the cold of the room, he hadn’t even noticed it was cold until the heat from the soup wore off and was sucked out of his body. 

 

Corlio cleared his throat and very quietly began to speak. “I know this sounds strange, but I have a plan for you to escape.” Lances head shot up and a wave of dizziness hit him. “It’ll be a one time thing as I can’t really contact my colleagues twice without the rest of the galra tracking the signal back to the source.” Lance nodded quickly signifying that he’d heard. Corlio sighed and placed his hand on Lances knee. “It’ll take a while but I promise in the meantime I’ll teach you some self defense.”

 

Lance raised his brow and gave a confused look. Corlio chuckled and inhaled softly. “How would you like to learn to use quintessence?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so Lance gets to learn how to use quintessence! Yay!  
> Corlio is also going to be a big part of this fic for the beginning but will probably spread himself out and not be so focused near the middle. 
> 
> Now for the next chapter quote  
> “We don’t know who you are or why you’re here but you need to stop pretending to be someone you are not.”
> 
> DUN DUN DUN
> 
> ok ok I’ll stop. OH I almost forgot. We may be getting some pictures soon by yours truly for references on what people look like! Since ya’know Lance can’t tell you anymore.
> 
> Till next time!


	6. Oh how the mighty fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clone Shiro goes insane and Keith is scared for his life... yup that’s this chapter.
> 
> OH ALSO mild gore at the end.  
> Mentions of past sexual activities ya’know that good stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like... I don’t write smut. I do read it though but it’s just not the same.  
> Anyway HAPPY NEW YEAR
> 
>  
> 
> Enjoy the story!

The denizens of the castle were in good spirits recently. They still mourn the loss of their fellow paladin, but they have looked passed their worries and come together. Well most of them have at least. All inhabitants except Corran and Shiro were currently cooped up in Lance’s room. Including their newest addition Lotor, who surprisingly, is a very nice person.

 

“Ok so what you’re telling me is that your black paladin is some weird clone that Haggar must have sent as a replacement.” Lotor crossed his arms in disbelief before putting on a thinking face. He scratched his head and dropped his shoulders. “Yeah that seems like something she’d do.”

 

When they had encountered Lotor they were genuinely surprised that he didn’t want to engage in combat. Unlike his fellow Galra he wasn’t too big on the whole ‘conquer the galaxy and make them our slaves’ thing. To be honest they didn’t believe him at all until the strangest thing happened.

 

The Black lion, who is undoubtedly the hardest to bond with, had woken upon his entry. She didn’t let him fly her of course but it was still a surprise and when Keith was alone with her she’d send him feelings of absolute trust. It actually kind of scared Keith how quickly she had awoken. They thought she’d attack him at first but she only sat and stared for a few doboshes. Then she immediately went back to sleep and powered down.

 

It was a wonder that the lion could tell Lotor was a good person. He wasn’t doubting her of course because she’d never been wrong about people, but at the same time it’s hard to believe that the lion could tell by just a look. Though over time he understood why the lion trusted him.

 

Lotor for the most part was like a child. He had a sense of innocence that could be molded and shaped into something powerful. Of course he has his mischievous side as well and got up to no good on a regular basis, but not one has he tried to hurt any of them. That was a big difference between him and their current problem.

 

Shiro for the most part stayed as their loyal black paladin and lead them to victory during battle. But now with Lance gone, he takes out his anger on the rest of the paladins. It wasn’t right watching someone he once called a brother turn on them in an instant. Of course it was never when they were in a group so no one could prove that he hurt them.

 

The type of violence wasn’t the same kind when it came to each of them. Hunk hat verbal abuse, Pidge got emotional, Allura was an in between, and Keith…Keith’s was physical. The only person who didn’t suffer his wrath was Corran. Within a month Shiro had changed and attacked all of them in some way. But Corran stayed unharmed, probably because he was never really around anymore. He was always finding something to do to distract himself. And honestly Keith would have done the same.

 

Keith sat in the room and tuned the conversation out as they discussed what to do. Shiro had somehow broken into Lance’s room one time. Keith knows because he watched him force his way through the shield surrounding Lances door. He watch from afar as Shiro dug around and into the hidden compartments holding Lances things. But he didn’t expect Shiro would come out holding one of Lance’s shirts that was from the dirty pile next to the door.

 

Shiro or rather clone Shiro had become obsessed with Lance. Trying to find him had become some sort of game to him, and he’d always laugh when they would lose his trail. He’d say something like “oh what a sneaky little kitty you are trying to hide from us.” And get this maniacal grin on his face. It was by faith the creepiest thing Keith had seen especially when it was from someone who had the face of his brother.

 

By the time the meeting was over Keith was passed out on the floor. Hunk being the nice guy he is, put him on Lances bed to sleep for a bit. They knew he’d be safe for now. After Shiro had forced his way through the door the first time, reds quintessence made sure he wasn’t able to do it ever again. Instead of burning him now, it’d make it impossible for him to breath and send electrical shocks through his body till he crumpled to the floor and passed out.

 

They turned the light off and exited the room before closing and locking the door. If Keith wanted to leave when he woke up then he could but no one would get in without the locking code. Not even Corran could get in there without permission. So with that knowledge they left the area without a trace.

  


* * *

  


Keith woke up to the sound of a thud against the wall. It was loud and angry sounding as whoever had hit it must have been upset. Either that or someone fell and knowing Pidge that might’ve happened. But the next sound piqued his curiosity as a low growl echoed outside the door. It was deep and rumbling with malicious intent.

 

“Open the fucking door you bitch.” Was that the clone? Why was he here now when they were supposed to be in the training room? The sound of nails on a chalkboard rang through the room as the clone raked his fingers down the metal of the door. “I said open the fucking door you dumbass cat!” They yelled as the door lit with a bright red light.

 

There was no sound for a few ticks then another bang and more scratching. Was he really going to be this persistent? Keith sat up and moved towards the door slowly. He tiptoed as to not make any noise as he got closer. The door was slowly dimming and the huffing of breath became louder as the clone struggled to break through the barrier. Then the light completely faded into nothingness.

 

A louder bang and a chuckle spooked Keith and he flinched away from the door. The sound of metal scratching against the door became louder and suddenly a little sliver of light shone through a small crack in the door. He was forcing the door to open!

 

Keith quickly hid in one of the hidden spaces under the pull out table. It was a sliding door that was hard to spot normally with an impeccable amount of space that hid him well in the darkness. Especially when the door screeched open as the clone pried it apart.

 

It was like a scene from a horror movie as the light slowly filled to room and the sound of steps echoed as clone Shiro walked into the room. He held his breath when the clone stopped. He made sure to close the door to the compartment but left a small sliver open so he could see when it left. And oh man could he see it now.

 

Even in the dark he could make out the look on the clones face. It was one of pure bliss as the thing breathed in deeply. “Oh kitty how I’ve missed your room. I hope to share it with you when you return. Then maybe we could finally be together at last.” They walked around the room for a while, checking the shelves, dresser, and upper compartments. But just as it went to crouch and open the lower compartments it stopped turned around and walked towards Lances bed.

 

This was definitely not his brother. He knows because as it picked up the shirt left on the bed, it growled like a wild animal. Looking at the shirt he could tell what was wrong, it was one of his shirts that he’d left in here when they held the last group meeting. A rip sounded through the room as the clone ripped the shirt in half. Keith’s eyes widened when the clone turned back towards the compartments with an evil glint in his eyes. They were glowing slightly purple and Keith had to stop himself from gasping.

 

The clone crouched down at the compartment and reached towards the door. Oh god he was going to open it. He was going to open it and kill Keith. ‘Somebody help! Please he’s going to end up killing me!’ He thought as the door slowly slid open and the smile on the clones face widened. But just as soon as it started the door stopped opening and the clone backed away.

 

“I assume you were allowed in here.” That was Lotors voice. Lotor had come to help him! Keith nearly cried in joy as the clone huffed and crossed his arms.

 

“And if I was not invited inside?” The clone responded with a smug voice. “Because as far as I know you can’t do anything about it.”

 

Lotor shrugged and the sound of footsteps moving closer from the hallway gave Keith a sense of relief. The clone tensed at the sound and glared at Lotor who gave a small smirk in return. Clone Shiro growled and walked out of the room and passed Lotor with a hit to the shoulder.

 

The sound of footsteps increased as the others sped to the room where Lotor stood. “Oh god was that Shiro?” Pidge asked suddenly with worry straining their voice. “Please tell me Keith is ok.” Lotor nodded and pointed to the compartment where the door was still cracked open.

 

Hunk rushed over and slid the door open and gasped in relief as Keith stared at him blankly. He was yanked out and pulled into a bone crushing hug and Hunk rocked him back and forth. He was crying, he knew because Hunks shirt became wet over time and the feeling of puffiness entered his face as he gasped and hiccuped.

 

Hunk quietly shushed him and patted his back comfortingly. They stayed like that for a while till Lotor cleared his throat. Allura nodded and Lotor turned to leave.

 

“Where are you going?” Keith asked. His head was starting to hurt from how hard he was crying and Hunk only seemed to hold him tighter.

 

“I’m going to deal with your pest problem hopefully.” He replies and walked down the hall with his head held high. Pidge nudged Allura and pulled her away from the door to leave to two boys alone.

 

Keith laid his head on Hunks shoulder. Hunk was alarmingly quiet and his normally soft exterior became rigid and the sound of teeth drinking grew louder in Keith’s ear.

 

“Hunk? What’s wrong buddy?” Keith pulled away from the embrace and looked at Hunk with a shocked expression. The normally soft paladin had a dark look to it that spoke volumes on how he really felt. His eyes looked like they held a deeply ingrained hatred and the scowl that adorned his face have him the look of a killer. He was angry and god help the person he was angry at.

 

“Keith, I want you to know that I love you like a brother, and that if you EVER need anything, you can call me. I’ve given this speech to Lance as well and I’m not going to change it for you. If you ever find yourself in danger I want you to come to me immediately. I don’t care if the person or ‘creature’ is stronger than me. If they ever try to hurt you, I will kill them.” He spoke with such clarity that it spread ice down to Keith’s bones. Hunk was serious and there was no stopping him.

 

Keith looked straight into hunks eyes and said “He was going to kill me.” And like that the war with the castle pest had started.

  


* * *

  
  


The so called war had already lasted five vargas. The clone was well versed with the castles layout by now and it didn’t help that he’d locked down most of the doors in the castle. The damn guy was giving it his all and made sure to set traps as well.

 

Lotor had done what he said he’d do but it didn’t work out well. As Keith and Hunk made their way to the sound of fighting they entered into a war zone. Pidge and Allura had somehow managed to get themselves stuck together with their bayards. The cords of both the whip and grapple had wrapped around them and tied them together. So obviously the fight hadn’t been going great from the beginning but at least Lotor was holding his own. That was until Shiro backhanded him so hard he was knocked out.

 

Now they were trapped in the kitchen with no escape. Hunk managed to drag Allura and Pidge with them as they ran away. But now the door to the kitchen was locked and they had no way out.

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me, not only did he lock every door behind us, he also managed to block our signal with the lions. Just who even is this guy?” Pidge groaned and tossed their tablet to the ground.

 

Hunk was pacing back and forth with a contemplative look. He hadn’t said much at all during the time they spent running. He was obviously still angry, his shoulders were still tense and his frown only grew more over time. Sometimes he would make a growling noise when a particular thought crossed his mind.

 

Things were getting weirder and weirder every second. Allura sat on the floor and meditated for a while. She was trying to link up with the lions and see if they knew a way out of the room. She had a look of concentration and he brows furrowed when something new happened.

 

A bang from next to them made them all jump and Allura groaned when she lost her concentration. A shifting noise echoed in the kitchen and everyone tensed. The door to the pantry slowly opened and the held their breath.

 

Corran stepped out of the pantry and stretched while yawning. Everyone watched as he turned towards them and froze. Then he pointed at them and gave them a confused look. Everyone sighed in relief as the older Altean yawned again.

 

“Corran have you been sleeping there the entire time?” Allura asked and Corran shrugged while nodding. “What- why?”

 

Corran shrugged again before asking “why are you all here in the kitchen? And why are the doors locked?” He moved to the doors and tested them for an opening.

 

“Oh well you see, Shiro has this really freaky clone that’s been impersonating him this whole time, and we found out after Lance disappeared, but apparently he doesn’t know he’s a clone. Oh and he’s been abusing us ever since Lance left. Well actually he’s been abusing Lance for longer and he’s got this freaky obsession with him. He tried to kill Keith earlier too so Hunks been angry like all day. Oh and Lotor tried to kill Shiro but he got is butt kicked instead. Now we’re trapped in the kitchen because he’s basically taken control of the castle.” Pidge gasped for air as they finished speaking.

 

Corran’s eyes were wide as he stared at the group in shock. This entire time they were in trouble and all he did was stew in his own emotions and sleep in the pantry. Had he paid more attention he might have noticed long before Lance had even disappeared, but no, he chose to ignore everything instead. Some friend he is.

 

“Well it seems we’re in a fair amount of trouble then huh? Well I know just what to do!” He declared and opened a side panel next to the door. “We always keep an emergency keypad next to every door in case this sort of thing would happen. I installed them myself after I got locked in the storage room and had to wait many vargas for someone to notice.” He clicked a few small buttons and the door decompressed and slid open.

 

Then all of the light flicked turned off and only the light of the quintessence in the walls lit their path. Slowly they moved out of the kitchen, bayards in hand, and Corran at their back. The sighed as they saw no one in the halls and moved down towards the lounge area. Hopefully Shiro vacated the area and left Lotor laying on the ground. No one moved for a few ticks listening to see if the clone had noticed them move.

 

But as the started to relax the sound of the main comms filled the room and then a voice resonated through the castle. “You know if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you guys were trying to kill me. But that can’t be, I’m your leader, why would you want to kill me?”

 

Allura straightened up at that and glared at her surroundings. “Look here you asshole, we don’t know who you are or why you’re here but you need to stop pretending to be someone you are not. I don’t know what you did with the original Shiro but you don’t belong.”

 

A chuckle surrounded them and they all collectively shivered in response. “Where did you learn that language princess? Oh well no matter there’s no need to worry about poor little Shiro. He’s fine, trapped inside the mind of his own lion. It’s so funny! He was right under your nose the whole time and none of you ever figured it out. Honestly Lance was the quickest to realize something was wrong. It’s a wonder how you guys haven’t died yet. Oh who knows maybe if you’re good little kitties I’ll let you spend time with him. That is, when we get him back.” He laughed louder when Hunk growled in anger.

 

“He is not a toy! You can’t decide what he gets to do, as far as I’m concerned you won’t even be here when we get him back!” Hunk yelled and held up his bayard.

 

The comms were silent before absolutely manic laughter filled the castle. “Oh you crack me up Hunk. You were always the light hearted fun guy when Lance wasn’t able to be.” He paused “but I have to tell you my friend. He already belongs to me. Mind, body and soul. I would know since I claimed him not that long ago. Oh you should’ve heard him that night. Saying my name so softly as if I were breakable, as if I would disappear again if he said it too loud.” Another pause as the team looked on in shock.

 

When had Lance ever shown any affection for Shiro? Was it like that before or after the switch? “You know, for what it’s worth, he really enjoyed it when I was rough with him.” The clone cackled again and the comms shut off.

 

Everyone was stunned into silence and they stayed that way for many ticks till a voice spoke up. “So the red paladin had feelings for the black paladin?”

 

Lotor stood up and dusted off his pants and stretched. Wow he slept for a long time and of course he wakes up when shit starts to really hit the fan. Keith was still trying to process the information given to him. But the thing that really bothered him was-

 

“Wait was he saying that he fucked him or that he beat the shit out of him?” Pidge asked confused. They were angry obviously but also confused. The same could be said for Hunk who -bless his heart- had a few emotions on his face. Part of him seemed terrified, and another was anger, but the biggest one was confusion.

 

Allura for the most part didn’t look phased in the slightest and it showed as she turned towards them. “What? Did you guys not know?” She asked with a raised brow “really guys? Wow ok I see how it is. Apparently it’s not normal for humans to follow around the ones they care for and attempt to fight off anyone who seems even remotely interested in the one they love.”

 

The group was quiet for a while “oh… it isn’t a regular thing then.” Everyone nodded and Allura looked down in thought. “Well that's weird, it’s pretty normal in most alien species but I suppose you are different.”

 

They stood there for a while contemplating everything the clone has told them. Lotor sat down on one of the couches and sighed. “Well if you’re going to just stand there might as well think of a plan.”

 

 

* * *

  
  


Shiro walked back down the halls and returned to Lance’s room. He knew what he was looking for. A specific shirt that the original Shiro had given Lance not long before the battle with Zarkon. Lance wore that shirt everyday till the battle and god knows how much it smelled of him now.

 

He tore the room apart and looked through all the cabinets and drawers, pulling out clothing and books alike, before stopping and looking back at the cabinet that Keith had been hiding in. He slowly slid opened the door and grinned as the shirt made itself known in the small amount of light.

 

He picked up the shirt and held it to his face. He breathed in the scent and practically moaned as the smell assaulted him. He always loved the smell of Lance, he was an amalgamation of different scents, it worked so well and never failed to make him aroused.

 

He smelled like freshly cut cantaloupe and cool ocean air. But sometimes his scent shifted to a spiced coffee smell that warmed him from the inside out. But his most favorite smell is the sweetness of cinnamon chocolate that’s been dipped in caramel. He groaned and sat down on the bed pulling the shirt away.

 

“Oh I’ll get you little kitty, then you’ll be all mine and no one else’s.” He whispered and leaned back on the bed.

 

He knew he really shouldn’t do it since he’s being hunted down by the others but he just can’t help it. Plus he locked and smashed all the keypads on the doors so no one should be able to get to him quickly. So unless they can get to the main pilot station then they shouldn’t be there for a while.

 

He shifted to a comfortable position and unbuttoned his pants. He tugged them down slowly and moaned when it rubbed against his hard cock. Looking down he noticed the precum staining his briefs. Oh yes he’s a briefs kind of guy, the tighter they are the comfier it is the wear his armor. But in this current situation it wasn’t so pleasant as it squeezed down on him and made it increasingly painful for his erection.

 

“Oh the things you do to me kitty.” He sighs out and brings the shirt back to his face. He untucks himself from his briefs and tugs once on his aching cock. A jolt of pleasure jumps up his spine and he shivers in delight. His eyes are closed and he inhales again before stroking himself at a slow pace.

 

He imagines Lance crawling into the bed with him with a feral look in his eyes. He’s seen those eyes before, the look of a predator stalking it prey before it strikes. It’s a look that Lance has used only once and it was never on himself personally. He was always so jealous of the original Shiro. Of course at the time lance and him were practically drunk off of some weird space alcohol, but honestly original Shiro wouldn’t have minded if those interactions continued.

 

The feeling on his cock shifts as pre drips down his length and coats him in a thin layer of slickness. Mind Lance has shifted as well taking the tip of Shiro’s cock into his mouth and slowly bobbing his head. It’s a good look as the soft lights on the room glow blue against his skin and his eyes maintain the hungry look. He just want to be eaten at that point and that Lance complies taking him deeper as Shiro's actual hand strokes further down at a slightly faster pace. He doesn’t know how but it’s beggining to feel more like Lances mouth by the ticks.

 

The pace stays the same for a while before that feeling in his abdomen builds up before rushing down to his dick which begins to be painfully hard as he avoids release. It’s burning hot at this point and he needs to release and Lance seems to realize and takes him deeper into his mouth and bobs quicker and quicker but it’s still not enough.

 

He imagines grabbing Lance by the hair and holding his head still as he fucks into his mouth. He thrusts harder and faster as he feels his climax approaching and the sounds his mind provides are satisfying to hear. The Lance is choking on his cock and he’s gasping for air every time Shiro pulls out. Then in one final thrust he’s coming inside Lances mouth. There’s so much cum that it start to overflow and pour out of his mouth and god is that hot. He can almost feel himself get hard again but immediately cuts himself off from doing so.

 

The sound of the doors unlocking makes him shoot out of the bed. The lights are turned up to their brightest and he hisses at the intensity of it. He quickly uses the shirt to clean himself up and tucks himself back into place before zipping his pants. He takes one last sniff at the shirt and sighs happily at the scents merging together. Oh yes, Lance would be his. No one was going to stop that.

  
  


* * *

  
  


 

Keith and Hunk snuck around the hallways quietly as Pidge shifted around in the air vents. Again. They were starting to get tired of finding themself there. Unfortunately they’re the only one that fits so too bad.

 

They had snuck into the main control room and reopened the doors before contemplating if they should turn on the lights. They had shrugged and turned everything back on. Which also included the connection to their lions who buzzed to life in each paladins mind with a loud roar.

 

They decided to stay in the vents with their tablet and watch the camera feeds to see any movement from the clone. Which was a good idea because now they were currently being chased by said clone who was stabbing through the ducts with his arm attempting to grab them.

 

“Not today satan!” They screamed and turned on their headset. “Lotor he’s following me to the bridge. If you can meet up with Keith then you two could take him on together.” They waited for an affirmative before racing down the vents and heading towards the bridge.

 

Lotor who was currently running down the many halls of the castle with Allura looked over at her with a question “so what started this exactly?”

 

Allura shook her head and sighed “we attempted to kill your father which apparently sucked Shiro’s soul out of his own body. Which is also trapped inside the black lion therefore Shiro is the black lion.”

 

Lotor gave a contemplative look before shrugging and ran faster. He nearly collided with Hunk who turned the corner with Keith who nodded and ran ahead. They could see the bridge in the distance and a very angry Shiro clone who was trying to grab Pidge. But Pidge managed to wrap her bayard around his flesh arm and electrocute it.

 

The clone screamed in agony as his arm flopped to his side. Pidge kicked in his knee and slid under him to run to the others. They surrounded him and he growled at them. They circled around him like a pack of hungry wolves, bayards pulled out and ready to attack. Lotor just kinda scowled and put his hands up in fists.

 

Shiro was the first to move quickly targeting Keith who took to dodging most of his attacks and taking a few hits here and there but none of them were fatal. He was slowly backing into a corner though and looked over Shiro’s shoulder in a pleading look.

 

Allura’s whip wrapped around Shiro’s foot and she tugged. Hard. He went flying across the bridge and into the floor where he left a small indent. Lotor moved quickly and kicked him hard enough to make him fly a few feet into the wall before moving forward and took up a fighting stance. They threw punches at each other for a while before Shiro when in to grapple him. Lotor pushed himself away with a kick to the chest and let Pidge come up behind him. They electrocuted Shiro once more before moving away as Shiro lashed out.

 

Hunk walked up to the worn out Shiro clone with a dark look on his face. His bayard shifted from his normal weapon to some brass knuckles. “I don’t know why they sent you to us but it doesn’t matter. You disgust me you freak.” Ruthlessly Hunk began to punch Shiro repeated. Getting words in fire every hit. “You monster. Asshole. Arrogant. Prick. I hope. You are. Trapped. In hell.” By the time he was done Shiro’s face no longer looked like him anymore. It was covered in blood and his nose was crooked. He was missing teeth and he had turned purple.

 

Still he laughed at them “it doesn’t matter if you get rid of me. Lance will never be the same, not without his precious Shiro.” He wheezed and coughed up a clot of blood. A chunk of flesh fell off his face and Pidge look away and vomited.

 

Keith walked up to the clone with a sneer. “I hope you rot you piece of shit.” He pointed his bayard at the clone and it transformed into a sort of pistol. He shot the clone in the head and watched as the body flopped to the ground with a satisfying thud.

 

The group turned away and walked back into the rest of the castle to clean themselves up. “So what do we do now?” Pidge asks after wiping their mouth.

 

“We continue our search for Lance. Shiro says he has an idea as to where he is.” Keith says. Pidge looks confused until understanding dawns on their face and they nod. “Let’s go look for our sharp shooter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap! 5100 words for a single chapter!  
> This concludes the Clone Shiro ark! Get ready for magic and more Lance fun times!
> 
> Next chapter quote  
> “Huh that’s weird, your quintessence is pure...no one should have pure quintessence it’s too dangerous.”


	7. Oh shit is that Betty?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance learns about his strange quintessence and Corlio is embarrassed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like I forgot to press submit on the 4th XD  
> Then last night the power went out and just came back on so it’s been pretty weird. Idk what happened I just heard that a tree landed on the junction box or whatever.
> 
> But yeah here’s chapter 7 enjoy!

When Corlio had told him that’d it wouldn’t be easy he wasn’t expecting to be sitting here meditating. Which if you must know is the most boring thing in the universe and oh my god someone end him please. He’s literally been sitting there for over an hour and still nothing. No sparkly lights or dancing fire or the freezing cold of ice. There’s nothing inside him.

 

“Ok one more time.” Corlio repeats for the fifth time. Even he seems exhausted and he’s not even meditating. “You need to relax, breath slowly, and clear your mind. Don’t even think of doing it just stop. Like stop all function in your brain. No analyzing or anything. Got it?”

 

Lance nods for what feels like the thousandth time and rolls his eyes behind their lids. He rests his shoulders and breaths slowly. His mind while moving at a mile a minute stops focusing on anything and becomes completely blank. It’s a slow process mind you so it’s a struggle to really just phase out of real life and ignore everything. Somehow though, everything becomes quiet. Even Red is silent as if she just disappeared into thin air. It’s scary at first when he realizes that his lion has just vanished but he gets used to the feeling.

 

At this point he can’t really tell what’s going on but he does know one thing. He can see color, just one color but it’s bright and vibrant. It’s a brilliant aqua color that shifts every once in a while and it feels like he’s staring forever. He could in fact stare forever but apparently the color doesn’t seem to like that idea because as he reaches out for it, it slaps his hand away and bonks him on the head.

 

“Ow what the hell was that for?” Lance asks and suddenly he’s back to the darkness he’s learned to love. It’s not like he wants to be blind but he’s come to learn that it’s not impossible to live without it and he can respect the people who do.

 

He hears a huff and the shifting of clothing as Corlio’s scent turns to a fruity citric smell. The closest comparison could be an orange but maybe sweeter. Embarrassment is what they’re feeling “You tried to touch me you ass.” Lance snickers before stopping abruptly.

 

He’d tried to touch him. When did he try that? The confusion must have been apparent as Corlio sighed. “You probably saw my quintessence and thought it’d be fine to grab it.” Lance tilted his head at that. “It’s bright blue? You should’ve seen it if I’m right.”

 

Lance pauses and attempts to look at Corlio. “Well I definitely saw blue. Well aqua but still. So then what’s my color?” Corlio is silent for a moment.

 

“Well it’s odd. You don’t really have a color or rather you have multiple? Like every color of quintessence is trapped inside your tiny human body. Which is strange to say the least.” Corlio just hums as if they were confused as well.

 

“So then I have rainbow quintessence? Cause I know I’m like gay but I didn’t realize it transcended into my quintessence.” He says and Corlio snorts loudly. 

 

“Wow ok um first of all, no, your quintessence isn’t rainbow colored. It’s more like white… wait your quintessence is white. It shouldn’t be that way unless-“ Corlio begins to mumble incoherently and stands up to pace. Lance finds it cute in an endearing older brother way. Well it does get annoying sometimes but you can’t just cut a habit like that.

 

The mumbling stops for a moment and Corlio slides across the room in front of him. The sound of feet slipping on the cold metal floor fills the room as well as laughter. “Oh my lord Lance you have pure quintessence! That’s amazing! You have to be the first human in existence to ever have quintessence that isn’t both weak and a singular color!”

 

“Um isn’t that impossible though? I thought pure quintessence was so powerful it could rip a person apart.” He says while pretending to cut his arm off.

 

“Well yeah but that’s for people who try to harness pure quintessence when they themselves are a different color. People can’t just control another element of quintessence. I mean people can have multiple like you and the hybrid but no one can truly just harness another type on their own. You have to change it, mould it into your own, or else you’ll just hurt yourself. The only exceptions are those with pure quintessence.” He says excitedly.

 

Lance rolls his eyes and blushes at the attention he’s getting. “So what makes it so special anyway?” Then he’s met with complete silence. “Corlio?”

 

It takes a few ticks for him to answer but what he gets is satisfying and honestly the best answer he could have gotten. A story.   
  


 

* * *

 

 

 

“One thing you should know is that there are few species that are capable of using pure quintessence. Most of them have died out but there is one that remains alive and well. They are known as the Korvas, a mammalian species that are practically immortal. They’ve lived longer than any of us and are quite in tune with their quintessence and their surroundings.” Corlio says quietly.

 

“Oh Ta’ruk was telling me about something similar. Though he never got to the good stuff.” Lance frown and leans back against the wall.

 

Corlio hums in understanding “Well I can tell you about them if you’d like.” He offers and Lance perks up and excitement.

 

“Well, Korvas are generally very colorful and kind to others. But sometimes they can be violent towards another species including the Galra. They prefer the peace and tranquility set and upheld by their leaders the Oracles. The Oracles are a set of twins born from the clan leaders of the sun and moon. They are almost always opposite colors and have completely different personalities. The oracle of the sun is most typically male and brightly colored while the oracle of the moon is normally female with darker colors. But that wasn’t the case for the most recent oracles. Instead the male and female switched places at birth when the guardians of their planet bestowed their abilities. The son a dark skinned boy with white hair was given the blessings of the moon guardian. While the daughter who was light skinned with warm dark tones in her hair was blessed by the sun guardian.”

 

Corlio paused for a moment and listened for movement outside the room. Then after confirming there was no one they continued.

 

“The moon guardian was a brilliant white tiger who bestowed the gift of clairvoyance. The ability to see far into the future. While the sun gairdian a black fox bestowed the ability to grow a bountiful harvest. An ability which served to help feed and grow new generations to come. Together the oracles would provide the people the knowledge and food for them to live their lives. But then the sister went away and the brother was left to fend for himself and his people. Without the ability to grow their food and plants they started to slowly die out. But the brother never gave up hope and in a last effort to help his people he prayed to the guardians. Taking pity on the young oracle they bestowed him new gifts that in time he learned to use. The fox gave him the gift that his sister had left with as well as the ability conceal his home from an outside threat. His original guardian the tiger gave him the gift of healing. From then on he became the only oracle to this day. He has never backed down from his position and his people don’t seem to mind it either.”

 

Lance hummed in thought for a while till a thought entered his mind “how come he didn’t try to look for his sister? Oh and what were their names?”

 

“Oh, well it’s law that if an oracle is to abandon their position and leave the planet, then they are never to return. So he was respecting the law even if he was hurt by it in the first place. And their names were Rouvin and I believe Mayaa.”

 

“Mayaa? Huh that’s weird. Well whatever, what about their quintessence? We didn’t get to that part.”

 

“Oh well I mean, only a few of them can use pure quintessence such as the oracles and their parents. As well as the main clan members but most of them still do use regular elemental quintessence. The biggest difference is that pure quintessence users can use any kind of quintessence. They are not limited to only a few elements and are honestly god like in my opinion. But they have one major flaw, if they were to try and give their quintessence to someone in need then they would inevitably kill that person. It’s like a poison to other people, in order to help it would need to be diluted. But there is also an amazing advantage to it as well. Pure quintessence is EVERYWHERE there is no shortage of it. And if you find a way to harness it then you’ll be pretty much unstoppable.”

 

Lance has a huge smile on his face at this point and it shows because Corlio snorts again and pushes him lightly on the shoulder. “Ok mister, you barely even have the basics down so don’t get too excited. Unfortunately this is going to be a trial and error deal since I have no idea how to teach someone like you. There are no books describing how one simply controls pure quintessence.”

 

Lance nods and yawns stretching out and laying on his side. He’s been really tired recently and he’s not sure why. Sometimes he gets glimpses of his room back on the castle but for some reason there are plants growing out of his walls and floor. Sometimes he sees the others there as well but he knows it’s just a dream so he ignores it. He covers himself and puts his arm over his eyes.

 

“Alright sleepy head got to sleep I’ll be back tomorrow.” Corlio says quietly and the sound of the door opening and closing fills the room as the soft pitter patter of feet lulls him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pure Quintessence 101   
> Lance isn’t very good at meditating.
> 
>  
> 
> Ch.8 quote:  
> “Um who the fuck are you?” Lance says to the strange man carrying him.   
> “I’m the Oracle of the sun and moon and who might you be?” He responds casually.


	8. Guess who’s back!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeyyy guys! I’m sorry I took a VERY long time to update. I kinda fell off the earth for a while. And then when I did come back I began a my hero academia fic instead. Welp I decided “Hey they’ve waited long enough give them a new chapter!” And so her you go! Chapter 8 at last!

“Good morning sleepy head!” Is the only thing Lance hears before a bucket of ice cold water is poured all over him. At least he thinks it’s water, that is until it starts to tingle.

 

“What is this stuff? It’s so itchy!” He says irritatedly. He starts to scratch at his skin but Corlio smacks his hands away and rubs the liquid on him. The itching slowly becomes bearable as it disappears into a satisfying coolness.

 

“It’s our new bathing liquid. It’s from this planet where everything is pretty much squeaky clean. Turns out the water has and antibacterial substance in it that purifies pretty much anything it touches.” Corlio sounded so exciting that Lance just laughed at his antics.

 

“Well I suppose I needed the shower. I was starting to stink.” He could feel his clothing begin to dry so he put his shirt up to his nose. It smelled fresh and less like the salty sweat that he’s been trapped in every night. Nightmares started to plague his sleep and no matter what he just can’t seem to stop them. He’s hoping that by the end of their session today, he’ll be able to safely enter his own mind.

 

Lance sat down on the floor and got back into his meditative stance. He felt Corlio sit across from him and do the same. They sat there for a while before Corlio took a deep breath. Lance settled down into his head and began to stop all thought process. He allowed himself to just be and then as if a puzzle piece snapping into place, he entered his mind.

 

The first thing he saw was a beach surrounded by nothing but a vast ocean. Then he turned to see a large jungle full of flowers and trees. What surprised him was that he ‘could’ see. And not just black and white, he could see full color! He laughed and spun around in circles. The sky was blue, he could see the bright yellow sun, the green of the trees, the color red!

 

Wait, the color red? He looked towards the red object in the forest and moved closer to it. As he got closer he could make out some shapes. Red and white ears, a cat face, large paws, a tail. He could finally see it fully and when he did he nearly cried. Red, his lion, was right there on the ground. She was wrapped in vines and branches. Roots entered her through the metal plating on her stomach. Red quintessence was being drained out of her slowly.

 

Lance put his hand on the lion and she just barely moved. He could feel her quintessence so clearly. It was almost as if he was connected. But he knew that couldn’t be completely true, he and red were not fully connected. He hasn’t heard her in so long he’d thought she’d finally abandoned him and given up.

 

The metal plating shifted ever so slightly as the vines tightened around the lion. More quintessence drained out and the roots sucked it up. The lion only whines lowly in response. Lance rubs his hand along her body in a soothing manner. There had to be something he could do. Something he could use to help them.

 

“I’m so sorry girl, I didn’t realize you were in so much pain. I should’ve been here sooner but I just didn’t know how.” He put his head to hers and a shock jolts through his system. A connection between them opens and he hears a gasp of air around him.

 

“My cub” says the lion “it is not your fault. It is me who is to blame.” Lance looks at her surprised. “I was willing to give my life for yours. I will never let you die.” Lance doesn’t need to speak because the lion already understands that he would do the same.

 

“Then what will happen when your quintessence is finally gone?” He asks quietly.

 

“I will cease to exist.” The lion replies “you needn’t fear for me my cub. I may be gone afterward but there will still be a part of me with you. You just have to trust your me even when I no longer inhabit my body.” Lance nods in understanding and the two of them stay silent in the others presence. A calm serenity fills the air and Lance relaxes the slightest bit.

 

The calm doesn’t last as a flash of lightning hits the sands on the beach. A loud bang enters Lance’s ears and he shoots up. His lion stirs as well and enters a defensive pose. The roots still holding tight but the vines and branches loosen a bit. Both of them watch as another flash strikes and a figure appears. A man with black and white hair falls onto the sand. The ocean has become a rolling wave and Lance has to brace himself as it crashes onto the beach and spreads to the forest.

 

Another flash and suddenly Lance is on his back in agonizing pain. His lion is above him trying to calm him down but soon the light fades from its eyes and it’s own body collapses to the ground. Darkness consumes lance as he tries to get closer to red and then nothing.

 

Lance gasps and thrashes as the feeling of hands wrap around his arm. The lingering pain from inside his mind is still there trying in vain to hurt him. He can hear a door opening and the sound of footsteps approaching quickly. A hand lays itself on his head a shocking sensation moves through his body and then he’s limp. His body has dropped to the floor. There is nothing but darkness and then silence. Complete and utter silence. He’s sleeping, he knows he is and for that he’s glad because now he can think without the fear of harming someone. So think is what he did.

 

~~~

 

When Lance came to, he was definitely not in his room. That was a given, especially with the new scents and the softness of the mattress beneath him. He can sense another presence around him. One he’s familiar with but can’t place his finger on.

 

“You gave us quite the scare there moonchild.” Ah so it was Haggar. “Nearly went into shock and quit breathing. I’m just glad I got there on time.” Haggar shifted around and moved about the room.

 

“Are you going to torture me again?” He asked. He knew he couldn’t be here just because he had a little shock.

 

“No, no you will not be tortured. Actually we’ve been running tests on you. Your connection with the red lion seems to have faded.” She says thoughtfully. “In fact the red lion doesn’t respond to anything. It’s as if it’s completely dead.”

 

“Ceased to exist” he replies. Haggar gives a hum of agreement.

 

“Do you perhaps know what exactly happened? You don’t seem shocked to hear about it.” Lance thought for a moment. Haggar didn’t seem all that bad right now so perhaps he can trust her with a tiny bit of knowledge.

 

“She told me-“ he began “she told me she was dying. That she was giving up her life for my own. She’s been very weak and the lack of connection just kinda hurt.” Haggar exhaled a long breath.

 

“Then I suppose she is of no use. There is no way to operate her now.” She begins to walk away but Lances scrambles to get her attention.

 

“Wait!” She stops “can I see her one last time? I just want to say goodbye.” Lance is only going on a whim now and hoping that this Haggar has even the slightest hint of a heart. He hears a sigh and she begins walking closer to him.

 

“I really shouldn’t let you, but she is of no use to us now and I doubt you could possibly get it running with no connection.” She helps him off the bed and leads him to what he assumes is the door. “Corlio can guide you there and back but don’t assume you have much time.” Lance nods in what he hopes is her direction.

 

Another hand grabs his arm gently and guides him through the halls. It’s when there is no one even close to them that Corlio finally speaks. “I’m glad you found a way out. I thought I was going to have to grab you and make a run for it.” Lance makes a noise of confusion and Corlio laughs quietly. “Today is the day you make your grand escape.”

 

Suddenly the alarms go off and Corlio begins running through the halls while pulling Lance behind. Guards rush by but none of them stop to question why he isn’t locked up or in the medical area. A door slides open and Corlio drags them in. He quickly shuts the door and holds Lance by the shoulders. “I’ll be back, if I’m not then someone else will be here to grab you. Hopefully they can get the red lion too. But as for now I need you to stay here while I work my magic. You got that?” Lance nods quickly.

 

Corlio opens the door and runs back out leaving a very concerned Lance behind. So lance waits, and waits, and waits for Corlio to return. It’s when a particularly large explosion goes off that the door opens again. Lance tenses up as someone steps inside quickly. “Are you the kid Corlio says need to be rescued from this place?” Lance nods quickly.

 

Then he’s hoisted up off the ground and onto the stiff shoulder of whoever came in. “Um who the fuck are you?” Lance says to the strange man carrying him.   


“I’m the Oracle of the sun and moon and who might you be?” He responds casually. Lance does a double take of the title. Corlio knew the oracle all along?

 

“The names Lance, I thought the oracle wasn’t supposed to leave their planet.” Lance replies. The oracle just hums as they pass through more halls.

 

“That’s not exactly true. We can leave but we can’t leave with the intentions of never returning. I however plan to return to my home.” He states happily.

 

They turn and enter through another door. It’s quiet in this room, eerily so to the point that Lance feels a slight sickness. He’s carried up a set of stairs then set down as the oracle knocks on metal. Recognition enters Lance’s mind. It’s the red lion, or at least the husk.

 

“Wow, when he said that it ceased to exist, I didn’t think he actually meant it.” They paced back and forth a few ticks before knocking again. Then the oracle seemed to have an idea. “Say Lance, Corlio said he taught you how to tap into your quintessence right?” Lance nodded. “Well then why not try starting this big cat with some of it?”

 

Lance tilted his head in confusion and the oracle huffed in annoyance. He grabbed Lance’s arm and placed his hand on the lions exterior. Nothing happened, no spark, no clash of emotions, hell not even a slight presence. Red was actually gone. Lance felt a tear roll down his cheek. A finger wiped away the tears and gently placed itself on his face.

 

“It’s ok, she did it for you. She knew what she was doing and I have no doubt she believes in you.” Lance sniffles and nods. He can do this, he can escape from this nightmare. He will return to his family and he’ll do it with his own power.

 

Lance holds his palm firmly against the metal. He focuses his mind into a tranquil state and allows himself to slip into his own world. The place hadn’t changed much since he last saw it. But the utter lack of a sun gave him a shock. Instead, nothing but stars littered the sky, the moon light beamed down and illuminated the area. Fireflies were bright in the jungle and even Lance felt calm. He could still see Red’s body in the jungle laying there but he ignored it. Instead he found himself walking into the ocean. He went as far as he could and let himself lay in it. The water carried him rocking his body like a lullaby and allowing him to calmly think.

 

He knew red could never fully return to him. But that didn’t mean she was gone for good. He had pure quintessence, all types of quintessence in one. She is inevitably a part of him and therefore he is a part of her. They are one in the same, they share a bond together and that’s all he needs. He hears a roar from underneath the water and flips over onto his stomach allowing himself to see into it. A bright white Lion greets him before kneeling as a white tiger forms beside it. It’s much larger and older but they both seem to hold much respect for one another. He reaches out to them and they both turn to him.

 

The felines look at him for what feels like an eternity. They stare into his soul, judging him, seeing ‘him’. Finally they come to a conclusion and together they roar as a bright light streaks out of the ocean and into the moon. It get bigger and bigger until it engulfs the sky. Then finally a drop falls from the sky plummeting to the ground at a high speed.

 

Lance is swimming to the shore as quickly as he can. The drop hits the ground just as he makes it. It nearly pushes him back into the ocean but he holds strong and keeps himself there. The wind finally dissipates and Lance can finally see what has formed. It is reflective and brightly colored with many different hues. It shines like a diamond in the moonlight and it has eyes that shine like the galaxy. It was large, VERY large. It’s ears were pointed, it had a spattering if stripes that littered its body with stars, and is had the largest teeth head ever seen on a cat.

 

Lance had just helped create a new being. A new lion- no, not a lion but a tiger that would be his partner for life. But in looking at his new partner he could still feel a familiar presence. “Red” He said quietly. The eyes of the tiger directed itself to him and it lowered its head to him. He places his hand on its nose and suddenly their minds clicked together.

 

“I am not this red you speak of.” It says softly “but I do know what they meant to you. If you must, then refer to me as such.” Lance shakes his head and the tiger shifts.

 

“No, you are definitely not red. Your name, is prism, and you’re my partner for life.” The tiger chuffs in pride and nuzzles Lance. “Now let's get the hell out of that hell hole.” Prism roars in agreement and Lance fades from his mind and back into the real world.

 

A shining light has spread over the red lions body and encased it in a protective glow. The lions eyes flash to life and Lance steps back as it roars. The oracle next to him inhales sharply. The mouth of the lion opens and Lance quickly walks up them, the oracle following closely behind. Lance finds his way to the pilot seat slowly but get there nonetheless.

 

He sits in the chat for the first time in so long he almost can’t believe. Something shifts and suddenly the seat has him locked in comfortably. Instead of the regular stuff to steer the lion he finds gloves and pads on his arm rests. There are pedals by his feet and a visor on his face. He’s suddenly sucked back into a color filled world as all he can see is the horrendous purple of galra tech. He’s looking through the eyes of his lion. Or rather his tiger now but he’ll fix that later.

 

He presses his foot down on a pedal and scrolls forward on his left pad. Prism begins to fully stand up. Good a work in progress. He tests out a few controls and finds a balance just for him. “Hold on Mr. Oracle cause this ride is about to get a little bumpy.” Prism roars and a blast of quintessence exits its mouth and tears through layers of metal leaving the ship with a large gash.

 

Lance climbs his way out of the ship narrowly avoiding the galra cruisers flying around. He sneaks around back and hops off leaving the Ship behind. What he sees is intense. Many ships have converged on the outside of haggard ship. Housed and rips line the entirety of the ship. He has no doubt that Haggar has left already, and hopefully Corlio has as well.

 

Prism speeds of in the opposite direction hopefully taking them someplace completely safe from galra influence. And once they stop Lance takes a moment to fully comprehend what just happened. He starts to laugh loudly and the oracle opts to stay quiet. He keeps laughing for a long while before he finally settles down.

 

“I can’t believe it. I created a completely new lion! Well, not a lion, more like a tiger but still!” Prism chuffs happily at him. “It’s not even red quintessence either! It’s just straight up pure quintessence. A creature made from a drop of moonlight just like mom told me stories about.” The oracle gasps quietly then stands up to move to the dashboard. There are a few clicking noises and then Lance can see coordinates in front of him.

 

“It’s to the safe haven that I promised to take you to.” He pauses before sighing “I’m taking you home.” With that Prism starts to move on his own. The visor detaches and the chair loosens up. It’s time for a nap and Prism won’t let him say no for an answer. Lance sighs and stands up the oracle takes his arm and leads him to the bed near the back of the cockpit. Lance lays down on the plush mattress and gets comfortable. Then like a light switch, he out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OwO  
> Social:  
> Tumblr: @trickstercrow  
> Twitter: @redcrowseyes  
> Insta: @tricksterredcrow


	9. Chapter 9

When Lance awoke he suspected to feel cushiony mattress and the cold metal of Prism’s cockpit. He was pleasantly surprised to find himself on a waterbed. Well it seems like a water bed since it moves when he does. He lets his mind settle down and concentrates on his surroundings. He can see the quintessence of many people but they all seem very far away and below him? One particular quintessence catches his attention. It’s bright white but also reflective of every color. Another much larger version of it sits next to it. 

 

He knows what the large one is but he’s just slightly confused as who the new one is. The newer one moves closer to him at a decent pace and then he hears a door open. He’s surprised to hear that it creaked like wood instead of the sliding mechanical sound you get from ships. 

 

“Oh it seems you’re awake. Thank the gods I thought I was going to have to force you awake.” They said thankfully. It’s sounds like the Oracle but he really can’t be sure. When he saw the Oracle, they only had one color of quintessence. How long had he been asleep anyway? A few days? “We should probably get you dressed.”

 

wait, dressed? Was he not wearing clothing? He patted his hands softly against his body, and yep, no clothes. His face heats up significantly and the Oracle laughs. Is it really the Oracle though? Corlio said they had pure quintessence sure, but then why did he see them with purple quintessence last time? 

 

“You are the Oracle right? I’m not going crazy.” They hum and affirmation and pull him off of the bed. He can feel them slip on a loose cloth that wraps around his body. It’s nothing he isn’t used to. Corlio has to help him change his clothing all the time so this wasn’t really that bad. “Then how come your quintessence looks so different?”

 

“Oh, well that’s easy, I changed the color to match the quintessence of the galra around me. Makes it harder for druids to spot me while I sneak around.” Lance nodded. A strap was put around his waist and tightened in the back. Then a pair of what he assumes is shorts is put on underneath it all. “Us pure quintessence users are quite the enigma to those who know nothing about it. For a while I thought Corlio was joking about you being one of us. You had yourself hidden as well. While I like the color blue, I think the rainbow fits much better.”

 

“I knew it was because I’m gay.” The Oracle snorts at that and flicks his head. 

 

“Well come on sleepyhead we have many things to catch up on. Sleeping for a year does terrible things to the body. I would know I’ve slept for many years before.” Lance pauses and let’s what he said sink in. 

 

“A whole year?” He runs his hand through his hair. It’s longer now, much too long for it to only have been a few days like he thought. “How could I have been asleep for a whole year!?”

 

“Well technically it’s only been a few weeks outside of this planet but yes you’ve been asleep for a whole year.” The Oracle doesn’t even seem surprised. It must be normal for him or something. “I’m pretty sure your body and soul were drained of most of its quintessence. Powering on or rather creating a whole new creature takes immense power. Normally multiple people would have to pitch in but you seemed to have done it all by yourself. Speaking of which your lion or rather tiger would like to see you.”

 

At the mention of Prism Lance lit up and allowed the Oracle to guide him to the Tiger. Prism seemed to spark awake as he entered its room. A loud chuff made itself known around them. The Oracle laughed happily as the tiger tried to touch Lance. It was gentle when it did so, the metal cool on his stomach. He leaned over the paw and laid against it in a sort of hug. Prism purred at him and nudged him a little. He seemed much larger than before, as if he was given an upgrade in size. Actually he seemed a bit too large, he’s used to Reds smaller size now even Blue seemed smaller in comparison. He thinks the only thing that might match him is the Black lion. 

 

He could feel pride rolling off of the Tiger in streams. Their mental link was significantly stronger than with his and Red’s. He’s happy he can understand his new partner and he knows it’ll take a bit to get used to but he’s willing to try. Prism seemed to like that idea as he preened in Lances head. 

 

“Come now we mustn’t wait too long. We have a very busy day ahead of us.” The Oracle said quickly and the doors behind them opened seemingly on their own. Lance followed the quintessence of the other out of the room. Surprisingly Prism walked with them as well. The lions weren’t able to move on their own without a pilot in them but Lance supposes that he’s always with Prism. They share a mental link so the thought of Prism being able to move actually makes sense as the Lions had to feel the connection with their pilot in order to do anything. 

 

They walked for what felt like hours when in fact it had only been about three minutes. Lance could see the quintessence of many other people very close to him but opted to ignore them. He followed the Oracle to an area with a nice warm breeze. The new smells drifted into his nose and he smiled. He was outside, on a planet, no longer trapped in a stuffy cell in a galra ship out in space. 

 

He sees a large crowd of people below him. So many colors in one place and they all are standing together. They seemed happy and safe, as if there isn’t the threat of a galra attack. Honestly as far as Lance knows, they will never be attacked. He knows that this place is so off the galra radar that Haggar is trying desperately to find it. 

 

All noise around him ceases as they make their way to a railing. He assumes it’s on a tall balcony. The Oracle clears his throat and begins to speak. “It is a joyous day my people. Our most esteemed guest has awoken from his deep slumber to join us on our festival night. We have had many years of peace in these trying times and may we pray the gods keep it so. And to kick off the celebration, a toast, to the future and to a long life.” With that the sound of cheers from below make itself known for many miles. 

 

The Oracle guides him to a seat and sits him down gently. A glass of liquid is handed to him and he sniffs it. It smells sweet like honey and he puts it up to his lips. Hesitantly he takes a drink. It’s not quite as sweet as he expected but it was pleasant enough that he decided to drink more.

 

“It’s the nectar of the typhoon fruit. It grows on our beaches on the tall trees that line the sands. It is a delicacy as it only grows during a certain time of the year. It helps to relax the muscles and dulls any pain you may be feeling.” Lance hums, he can definitely feel himself become like putty. He’s melting in his seat and Prism is laughing through their link. 

 

“Oh yeah, whats your name? I can’t really get used to just calling you Oracle.” He says. He waits for a while for a response then hears a click.

 

“It’s Rouvin, Rouvin Virge Minerva. But you can call me Rouvin for short. Actually just call me Uncle Rouvin.” Lance gives him his best ‘wtf’ face and Rouvin laughs. “Many of the people here see me as a family figure rather than the Oracle. I find it endearing so I’ve allowed them to call me as such. Though I wouldn’t say it isn’t true for you.” Lance gives a quizzical look to the older man.

 

Rousing moves much closer to him now. He places a hand on top of his and holds it tight. “I assume you may have siblings seeing as your much more mature than most I’ve met.” Lance nods “Did you by chance have a twin?” Lance nods again. “I see, are all of your siblings related to you or are you and your twin separate children?”

 

“Well my real mother died not long after we were born. I’d say when I was about five years old. Our father moved on not long after and then boom we had a new mom. Though I don’t see how this relates in any way to what you’re talking about.”

 

“Well you see, My sister left us long ago. She like many other Oracles had seen a prophecy for the future. It required her to leave permanently and though I knew she had to do it I didn’t want her to go.” He sounded solemn as he spoke. “We have a connection much like you and Prism. We know when the other is hurting or sick and even if they are dead. So when I could feel her joy for so long I knew something good had happened. And then she faded as if the connection with her had withered away.” 

 

Lance sat there taking it all in. He knew he and his sister were strange compared to everyone else. That sometimes he would just do things that no other human did. It’s entirely plausible that he could be an alien, hell even Keith was an alien and he acted pretty normal. So he wasn’t at all surprised to hear the stuff coming out of Rouvin’s mouth. “So you think I might be descended from her? Like a grandchild?”

 

“No I think you’re more than that. I believe you might just be her son. Like I said she disappeared a long time ago. A long time for us.” He says gesturing to the planet itself “I have no doubt that she was still very young when she had you. As remember, a year here, is only two weeks out there.” 

 

“How come my sister seems so normal compared to me? We’re twins so why would she be different?” Rouvin seemed to consider this for a bit as he went quiet.

 

“Perhaps due to the fact that we as a species have never really bred with another, the two of you could’ve split. She could be fully human while you are Korva just like me.” There is a hint of pride as he speaks and Lance smiles a little.

 

“Then how come I look human? It’s not like I’m just some weird looking Alien.” Rouvin laughs at this and pats him on the shoulder.

 

“You seem to misunderstand what we Korva’s look like. We are much like the Altean race. We are very human like but we do come in many different colors. Some of use have ears on top of our heads as well. Others have tails, or sharp teeth, some even have claws. But the structure of our body remains the same. We are not unlike humans in that our bodies are built to stand on two legs. We have five fingers, a nose, two eyes, and a singular mouth. You wouldn’t know it, but I am very dark, my skin is a deep shade of gray while my hair is pure silver. I believe you know what your own mother looked like.”

 

“Yeah, her skin was pale and smooth. Her hair was a very dark brown, almost black if I recall. But the thing that I never understood was why her nails were always so long and sharp.” Rouvin laughed at that. 

 

“She never did like to cut them down. Always said it wasn’t an issue even though she really couldn’t grip her pens. Well I suppose it doesn’t matter now, she is gone, but you’re here. And I have a duty to uphold as the Oracle and as an uncle. I hope you’re ready Lance because training starts tomorrow.”

 

~~~

 

Oh yeah raining was great. Absolutely amazing, totally awesome, super mega cool. As if! Lance is resting on the ground after a rather painful flip onto the ground. Turns out being blind makes it impossible to know what your target is doing.

 

“Oh come on Lance I know you aren’t giving up now. It’s only been what, fourty minutes?” Rouvin said jokingly. Lance growled and flopped onto the ground.

 

“You know I’m blind! Not like I can do much when I can’t see you. Plus I’ve been asleep for like ever.” Lance crosses his arms in an attempt to seem angry. Apparently it has the opposite effect as Rouvin just chuckles.

 

“Excuses, I know you can see me just fine. You can see my quintessence very well. I just think you aren’t using your brain as well as you think you are.” Lance scoffs “oh? Hmm let me think. Oh right! Did you know that if you concentrate hard enough you can get an outline of a persons body using just their quintessence?”

 

“What? What do you mean an outline? Like a shadow or something?” Lance asks confused.

 

“No I mean you can get an actual outline. Like, imagine drawing a picture, when you draw you do the sketching phase right?” Lance nods “it normally looks like just scribbles, that’s what you’re seeing now. Now you do the next layer of sketches and the drawing becomes a little more clear. More focused on the object you’re drawing. Then on the final layer you have a clean and perfectly smooth finished drawing. You can see all the details but with no color.” 

 

“Oh, well how do I do that?” Rouvin snorts.

 

“I ain’t got a clue. These things just come naturally to me I never really have to go through the whole learning process.” Rouvin helps stand him up and brushes him off. “I suppose we can take a break and meditate. It might help sort some things out.”

 

Lance is guided to a plush and pillowy area and is sat down facing Rouvin. They both become very still and very quiet. The only sounds are the weird chirping of whatever creatures are outside. Lance falls back into his own mind in an instant.

 

The first thing he sees is Prism in its actual form. The large robotic cat is jumping around playfully with some bubbles that are being formed in the ocean. Lance laughs and runs up to it. Then suddenly a flash of lightning hits the ground in front of him. 

 

“What the hell? I thought we were done with this.” Lance says angrily. Prism has also turned around to stare at the melted sand. He sniffs at the ground and looks around warily in the treeline. Lance follows his lead, looking around to see any intruders. He doesn’t see any so he continues his path to Prism. 

 

The tiger lays in the sand allowing Lance to climb up his side and sit atop his head. “What brings you here partner?” Prism asks.

 

Lance thinks about the answer for a bit before slumping over with a huff. “I’m not exactly sure Prism. I’m supposed to learn how to ‘see’ without y’know actually seeing. Something about the outlines of a person by using their quintessence.” Prism chuffs but it comes out as more of a laugh. Oh great now his own partner is laughing at him. 

 

“I think you should first try seeing yourself first.” Well if that wasn’t a weird sentence then Lance doesn’t know what is. He slides down the front of Prisms nose and walks over to the ocean. When he looks down he just sees himself. Regular lance, no difference whatsoever. Not even a blemish on his face. He knows it’s not real, that he looks different now, but how is he supposed to know what he looks like?

 

His question is answered when his vision switches from first person to third in a split second. He’s looking through Prisms eyes now. What he sees isn’t bad, long hair, a thing body, much paler skin. Probably from the lack of sunlight he’s been getting. It’s when he turns around that he struggles not to cry. His face is marred with scars, you can only see white in his eyes, and a few long scars reach along his torso. He looks like he should be dead.

 

“I’m ugly” He supplies. Prism lets him go back to his own body and pulls him close. A loud purring enters his ears. 

 

“Not ugly” He says “very brave and handsome. Battle scars are cool.” Lance barks out a laugh at the last one. He used to say that all the time until he found his skin routine. They sit like that for a while, heat radiating off of Prism, just relaxing in the other’s company. 

 

Then a noise near the trees catches their attention. Prism is already up and in a defensive stance. Lance waits to see what comes out but he doesn’t see anything. It’s as if whatever it is might be invisible. Or still hiding from them. Well whatever it is Prism seems to trust now. The tiger has settled down now and sat back in the sand. 

 

“Safe. See for yourself. Open your eyes.” And that’s where Lance gets stumped. Open his eyes? They are open though. He knows he is or else he wouldn’t be able to see Prism. But then again he himself had to look through Prisms eyes in order to see himself. So perhaps he really does have his eyes closed. He sits down and closes his eyes to begin meditating once again. It’s weird to have to meditate inside your own mind. Things just go silent like everything has just faded from existence. 

 

When he opens his eyes everything goes right back into place. At least that is until he notices the gigantic black lion in front of him. “Holy shit Jesus Christ why the fuck are you inside my head?” He says quickly. Prism laughs and lays down next to him. The black lion opens her mouth and a familiar suit of armor makes itself known. Lance goes into defensive mode for a moment as the suit steps closer. The last time he saw it was when he protected the fake Shiro. Or at least what he assumes was a fake Shiro. 

 

The helmet comes off and for a brief moment Lance cowers at the sight. Shiro is standing there looking down at him. But instead of the eyes of a killer, there is a softness, like he had never hurt Lance, never touched him wrong, or called him names. A look that spoke safety and love. 

 

Shiro held his arms out in a hug and Lance jumped up and ran at him. He hit Shiro full force and both of them toppled over. Lance had tears streaming down his face as he held the older man close. Shiro held him back just as tightly and rocked them back and forth in a soothing motion. 

 

“You’re an ass you know that?” Shiro just huffed out a laugh. Lance pulled away from the embrace to rub his eyes. What he found though wasn’t tears as much as it was watered down blood. Right he didn’t really have eyes anymore guess he’ll have to get used to it. Shiro on the other hand started freaking out trying to find a cloth to help clean him up. 

 

“Oh my god Lance what happened!? Are you okay? Why are your eyes bleeding? How can you even see me?” All the questions had Lance rolling on the floor. He didn’t stop laughing for a while and Shiro was still freaking out by the time he was done. 

 

“It’s ok Shiro I wasn’t put in the area nor anything like that.” Shiro seemed to slump with relief. “I was however tortured by Haggar and some of the elite commanders or whatever their called.” Shiro looked at him like he was crazy. “Well I’m nowhere near there anymore so it’s fine.” 

 

“What do you mean? Are you safe? Also why is your hair so long? It hasn’t been that long since we’ve lost you.” Lance punches his arm lightly.

 

“I’m on a planet called Kyatu (key-ya-too). The people there are called Korvas and they are very human like. They treat me well and I suppose I kinda met my uncle.” Shiro squints at him in disbelief. “Hey if Kieth gets to be half Alien then so do I. Not my fault my mother was a Korva.” He puffs his cheeks out in mock anger.

 

“Still doesn’t explain the long hair.” Shiro says while running his fingers through the long brown strands. Lance smiles at him before speaking.

 

“Well Kyatu is a planet in a weird wormhole like place. Every two weeks outside of the area is a while year on the planet. I have been asleep for pretty much an entire year. So I would hope my hair would be growing out during that time.”

 

“So then you’re a year older than you were before?” Lance shrugs “oh well then you’re one year closer to my age. Which means you’re getting old.”

 

“Pssh you aren’t even that much older than me. Go turn like sixty and then talk to me about being old. Seriously people these days think that turning twenty makes you so old. Well guess what univers, my uncle is over thirty thousand years old and he still looks good!” 

 

Shiro laughs and pulls him into another hug. “Maybe we should bring the others to come visit next time. You and Red seem pretty happy here so I have no doubt that they will be too.” Lance frowns at that and leans away.

 

“That’s not red.” He says sadly. He stands up and puts a hand on the Tigers Metal paw. It had changed to look more red to keep appearances but Lance want him to show his true color. The red drains from the Tiger and it is replaced with its natural striped pattern. The teeth elongate again and the body gets bigger. “His name is Prism and he’s my new partner. Red, Red died while protecting me. She gave her life for mine.” 

 

Prism nudges him with his nose in affection while watching the two other beings for any hostile reactions. He lowered his guard when they received none. Lance shifted and leaned against Prism for support. “I can’t let you come to the planet either.” Shiro looked at him like ha was cray “they have been hidden from the galra for so long and I don’t want to risk them being found. They’ve been able to track the castle for so long and I don’t want them to end up in a war that they have no desire to be in. They’re peaceful and kind beings. I don’t want to ruin that.”

 

“I see, so when will we be able to see you again?” Lance shrugged “then will you at least promise me that you’ll come home?” Lance looked up in shock. Then he nodded with a small smile.

 

“I promise, but first I need to train. Then I’ll finally come home to see you.” The two of them hugged for a little while the. Said their goodbyes as Shiro had to leave with the Black lion. Lance watched as they faded from his mind. He himself sat down quietly and left his mind. 

 

Rouvin was there smiling down at him with a knowing look. Lance just held out his hand and let Rouvin pull him up. He could see now, not the colors but rather the outlines of all the stuff around him. The walls, the plants, hell even the tiles on the floor. He could finally see what Rouvin looked like and he sure as hell knows he’s going to use it to his advantage. 

 

“So what’s got you in all a giddy mood my dearest nephew?”

 

“Oh ya’know just wanting to fulfill a promise.” He replies with a smirk. “Now let’s get this party started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Social:  
> Tumblr: @trickstercrow  
> Twitter: @redcrowseyes  
> Insta: @tricksterredcrow


End file.
